Summary
Summary: Rates of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections, hospitalizations, and deaths differ across racial and ethnic groups in the United States and disproportionately affect minority communities. In states reporting disaggregated data for Pacific Islander populations, rates of COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations, and deaths were significantly higher among Pacific Islanders than among the white population and other racial and ethnic minority populations. Because the disparities were so alarming among Marshallese Pacific Islanders in northwest Arkansas (i.e., Benton and Washington counties), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conducted a multi-week site visit in late June and early July 2020. The July 2020 report details the disproportionate effect of COVID-19 on the Marshallese population in this region.
Findings: Marshallese are estimated to make up just 1.5% to 3% of the total population of Benton and Washington counties, yet they accounted for 19% of all COVID-19 cases in the region. Of Marshallese patients with COVID-19 during March–June 2020, 9% were hospitalized. Nationally, CDC reported that 144.1 per 100,000 of patients with COVID-19 were hospitalized as of June 2020. Most alarmingly, Marshallese people accounted for 38% of the reported deaths in the 2-county region during March–June 2020.
Marshallese in northwest Arkansas have experienced disproportionate rates of COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations, and deaths. These high rates may be due in part to the high incidence of type 2 diabetes in the Marshallese community, a condition that increases the risk of complications and death from COVID-19. Community-based partners funded through a CDC REACH award have built a strong collaborative foundation to address chronic diseases and associated risk factors in the Marshallese community. Authors have leveraged that collaboration to address COVID-19 disparities through the development and implementation of a COVID-19 Comprehensive Response Plan based on CDC recommendations. The Comprehensive Response Plan includes increased testing, contact tracing, enhanced case management, and health education. Simultaneously, partners have shifted to remote delivery of health education efforts as authors continue to address type 2 diabetes in the Marshallese community. The COVID-19 Comprehensive Response Plan demonstrates how CBPR infrastructure created by the REACH program can be leveraged to reduce health disparities and implement critical CDC recommendations beyond individual grant awards.
This study referes to the Refers to Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) COVID-19 Data Dashboard.
Read the Publication:
- Journal Article: COVID-19 Disparities Among Marshallese Pacific Islanders