Disentangling the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Health Disparities in African Americans: Biological, Environmental, and Social Factors

Abstract

Abstract The stark racial disparities related to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in the United States, wherein minority populations are disproportionately getting infected and succumbing to the disease, is of grave concern. It is critical to understand and address the underlying causes of these disparities that are complex and driven by interacting environmental, social and biological factors. In this article we focus on the African American community and examine how social and environmental determinants of health intersect with biological factors (comorbidities, underlying genetics, host immunity, vitamin D levels, epigenetics) to exacerbate risk for morbidity and mortality.