COVID disparities persist for Black Americans. But there are lessons for the future

wilbert marshall
Wilbert Marshall, 71, looks at his shot card after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine from Melissa Banks, right, a nurse at the Aaron E. Henry Community Health Service Center in Clarksdale, Miss., Wednesday, April 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Two years into the pandemic, Black people in the U.S. still face wide health disparities in the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the economic and social fallouts, compared to other racial groups.

The new report from the Black Coalition Against COVID comes as hospitalization rates for Black Americans were recently the highest they’ve been since the pandemic’s start.

“As we reflect on two years of lived experience and myriad data sources, we know COVID-19’s toll on Black Americans is ongoing,” Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, the director of the Office for Health Equity Research at Yale University, said.