White Americans now likelier to die of COVID than Black Americans

White Americans are now more likely than Black Americans to die from COVID-19, according to a new analysis of data from the Centers for Disease Control.

While it is not the first time that the White death rate has eclipsed the Black death rate from COVID-19, minority communities were hit harder by the pandemic early on.

Experts noted early on that Black Americans were disproportionately affected by the virus. Gaps in healthcare access and preexisting conditions led to Black, Hispanic and American Indian communities being at least 60% more likely to die of COVID-19 during the pandemic.

However, an extensive new analysis of CDC data from The Washington Post after the Delta variant spike showed Black deaths continued to decline while White deaths steadily increased. This was the first time the White death rate outpaced Blacks.

However, when the Omicron variant flared through the country the Black death rate again rose above their White counterparts. But, much like the Delta variant, after the initial wave of deaths, the White death rate rose above the Black death rate, and has remained equal or higher ever since.

The Post’s analysis of the CDC’s numbers argues that one of the reasons for the change in death rates was differences in attitudes towards vaccines.

Black communities were not receiving vaccines at a comparable rate when they first became available, due to access and trust in the vaccines themselves. However, as more people died and vaccines became more widespread, the Black vaccination rate increased.

Vaccine skepticism in White communities, however, either increased or remained consistent.

The Post’s analysis argues that the death rate of Black Americans has not in fact dropped that significantly, but that the rate at which White Americans die from COVID-19 has increased faster.

According to the New York Times tracking data of COVID-19 cases and deaths, 1.06 million Americans have died from COVID-19 complications since the start of the pandemic.

For more information, visit The Washington Times COVID-19 resource page.