CDC study examines COVID-19’s disproportionate impact on American Indians and Alaska Natives

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today released a study examining how COVID-19 is affecting American Indians and Alaska Natives — one of the populations at highest risk for the disease.

Researchers found that, in 23 selected states, the cumulative incidence of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases among AI/AN was 3.5 times that among non-Hispanic whites.

The study also found that AI/AN individuals who tested positive for the virus tended to be younger on average than non-Hispanic whites who tested positive. The study noted the lack of insufficient data necessary to compare AI/AN individuals’ infection rates with those of racial or ethnic groups other than non-Hispanic whites, which underscored the need to prioritize improved data collection as a key strategy to understand and improve health outcomes in these groups.