A new study reveals that 68 percent of COVID-19 deaths during the first year of the pandemic were adults in low socioeconomic positions (SEP) employed in labor, service and retail jobs that require on-site attendance and prolonged close contact with others.
University of South Florida epidemiologist Jason Salemi’s research confirmed associations between COVID-19 mortality rates and socioeconomic position, gender, ethnicity and race.
In collaboration with a team of epidemiologists from the COVKID Project, Salemi, an associate professor in USF’s College of Public Health, launched a national investigation into COVID-19 deaths in 2020 with data released by the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics.
The study, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, analyzed nearly 70,000 adults, ages 25 to 64, who died from COVID-19.
Salemi’s research shows:
- The mortality rate of low SEP adults is five times higher when compared to high SEP adults, and the mortality rate of intermediate SEP adults is two times higher.
- White women make up the largest population group considered high SEP. In contrast, nearly 60 percent of Hispanic men are in a low SEP.
- When compared, the mortality rate of low SEP Hispanic men is 27 times higher than high SEP white women.
“The degree to which it takes a toll on communities is very unevenly distributed and we wanted to call attention to that issue,” Salemi said.
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