COVID-19: Unique public health issues facing Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities

Abstract The 2019 coronavirus disease is a serious public health emergency, with serious adverse implications for populations, healthcare systems, and economies globally. Recently, concerns have been raised about possible association between ethnicity, incidence and outcomes of COVID-19 arisen from early government data. In this review, we will explore the possible association using both recent COVID-19 studies and studies of previous pandemics. We call for data on ethnicity to be routinely collected by governments, as part of international collaboration, alongside other patient demographics and further research to robustly determine magnitude of association. Moreover, governments must learn from previous pandemics and recommended strategies to mitigate risks on minority ethnicities due to socioeconomic disadvantages.

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