Health disparities and cardiovascular disease in the era of COVID-19: A brief review from a public health perspective

Abstract

The social and economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected everyone, but lower socioeconomic groups have been hit hardest. A higher likelihood of exposure to socially determined risk factors for Black, Asian, Latino and Native American individuals has been linked to higher incidence of COVID-19 cases and death in these communities. Multi-level and multi-organizational effort is needed to reduce the increased risk of COVID- 19 in vulnerable populations that exists due to structural health inequalities.