ArticleEClinicalMedicine2023
Ethnic inequalities in COVID-19 infection, hospitalisation, intensive care admission, and death: a global systematic review and meta-analysis of over 200 million study participants.
Article in EClinicalMedicine, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 60 papers.
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Who cites it
60 citing papers in PubMed, 102 citations in OpenAlex.
- Enhancing the psychological well-being and sleep quality of healthcare providers with a multimodal psychological support program: a randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in public health · 2024Trial
- The impact of ethnicity on longitudinal humoral and cellular immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 booster vaccination.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- SARS-CoV-2 testing uptake and its determinants in six ethnic groups living in Amsterdam, the Netherlands: a registry-based study within the HELIUS cohort.European journal of public health · 2026Article
- Post-acute organ complications within one year following COVID-19 hospitalization and related socioeconomic inequalities.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Ethnic differences in Long COVID diagnosed in primary care in England (2020-2022): an observational cohort study using OpenSAFELY.The Lancet regional health. Europe · 2026Article
- Mapping strategies for reducing inequalities in adult elective surgical care in the United Kingdom: a living scoping review.BMC health services research · 2026Article
- Article
- A multilingual telephone service for crisis communication with migrant groups: Swedish experiences of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Confronting the known unknown: historical lessons and future strategies for Disease X.Frontiers in public health · 2026Review
- Intersectional inequalities in COVID-19 morbidity and mortality in Sweden: a retrospective population-based cohort study.BMJ public health · 2026Article
- Ethnic differences in the patterns, incidence and prevalence of multiple long-term conditions: a systematic review protocol.Wellcome open research · 2026Article
- Ethnic disparities in opioid prescribing for cancer pain and associated emergency department visits and hospital admissions in the last three months of life: a retrospective cohort study.British journal of cancer · 2025Article
- Racial disparities in children tested for SARS-CoV-2 at pediatric emergency departments: A prospective cohort study.Paediatrics & child health · 2025Article
- Impact of socioeconomic status and country of origin on COVID-19 outcomes in Swedish ICUs: a retrospective registry-based cohort study.BMJ open · 2025Article
- Why population heterogeneity matters for modelling infectious diseases.Interface focus · 2025Article
- The prevalence and risk of mortality associated with antimicrobial resistance within nosocomial settings-a global systematic review and meta-analysis of over 20,000 patients.EClinicalMedicine · 2025Article
- Investigating the contribution of socio-economic position to ethnic inequalities in severe COVID-19 outcomes: population-based mediation analyses of national linked Scottish data.European journal of public health · 2025Article
- Socioeconomic and sociodemographic differences in the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and their impact on self-rated health and mental well-being: results from a cross-sectional study in Germany.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Sociodemographic patterns of COVID-19 mortality: the 2020 Japanese census-linked mortality database.The Lancet regional health. Western Pacific · 2025Article
- Unpacking the complexities in racial and ethnic discrimination and tobacco use and cannabis co-use behaviors among young adults in the U.S.Addictive behaviors reports · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
13 authors at 6 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Background: COVID-19 has exacerbated existing ethnic inequalities in health. Little is known about whether inequalities in severe disease and deaths, observed globally among minoritised ethnic groups, relates to greater infection risk, poorer prognosis, or both. We analysed global data on COVID-19 clinical outcomes examining inequalities between people from minoritised ethnic groups compared to the ethnic majority group. Methods: Databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, EMCARE, CINAHL, Cochrane Library) were searched from 1st December 2019 to 3rd October 2022, for studies reporting original clinical data for COVID-19 outcomes disaggregated by ethnicity: infection, hospitalisation, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and mortality. We assessed inequalities in incidence and prognosis using random-effects meta-analyses, with Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) use to assess certainty of findings. Meta-regressions explored the impact of region and time-frame (vaccine roll-out) on heterogeneity. PROSPERO: CRD42021284981. Findings: 77 studies comprising over 200,000,000 participants were included. Compared with White majority populations, we observed an increased risk of testing positive for infection for people from Black (adjusted Risk Ratio [aRR]:1.78, 95% CI:1.59-1.99, I Interpretation: Our study suggests that systematic ethnic inequalities in COVID-19 health outcomes exist, with large differences in exposure risk and some differences in prognosis following hospitalisation. Response and recovery interventions must focus on tackling drivers of ethnic inequalities which increase exposure risk and vulnerabilities to severe disease, including structural racism and racial discrimination. Funding: ESRC:ES/W000849/1.
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