The cause of African Americans’ higher death rate is unknown. But health experts say it likely is a combination of factors, not just their pre-existing health conditions.
Steven Wallace, who conducts research on race and aging at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, said black residents of Los Angeles County are more likely to be frontline workers, to live in multigenerational housing and to have poorer access to both coronavirus testing and healthcare than white residents.
Even when accounting for poverty, black people’s health is consistently worse than other groups. That hasn’t changed during the pandemic.