Covid Deaths Soar in Hispanic Counties Even as U.S. Cases Fall

(Bloomberg) -- Covid-19 deaths are climbing in Hispanic communities even as cases across the U.S. are on the decline.

The two-week rolling death rate was 1.49 per 100,000 in highly Hispanic counties last Tuesday, a record high and about 55% higher than the broader U.S. figure.

The deaths persist even as fewer people fall ill: Case rates in such counties, where Hispanics account for about half of residents or more, have fallen since mid-January, mirroring the national trend, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Part of the reason for the uptick may be California, where daily deaths are still remarkably high even as cases plummet. Deaths are becoming more stratified there -- the rate in highly Hispanic counties was triple the rate of those with smaller populations as of Friday. In states such as Florida and Texas, home to large Hispanic communities, the trends were less clear.

Coronavirus has highlighted inequities at every level of the U.S. health-care system from initial infection to treatment to deaths. Hispanic people are statistically more likely to contract the virus, more likely to lack access to care, and more likely to die than Whites. Hispanics or Latinos accounted for 1 in 5 U.S. cases, but racial data is available only for half of all known cases.

Nationally, the U.S. posted 77,737 new Covid-19 cases on Monday, bringing the seven-day average to 111,131, Covid Tracking Project data show. As of early Tuesday, there had been almost 465,186 reported deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.

According to Covid Tracking Project data:

• No states posted single-day case records Monday and average cases were flat or falling in 49 states and D.C. compared with the week prior.
• New York had the most people hospitalized with the virus per capita, with 397 hospitalized per million.

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