The COVID-19 pandemic may have exacted a 20% higher US death toll than previously estimated, particularly among racial minorities, underscoring the need to adapt policies to address deepening ethnic and sociodemographic disparities, according to a study led by Boston University researchers.The study, published yesterday in PLOS Medicine, consisted of analyzing provisional county-level COVID-19 and all-cause death data from the National Center for Health Statistics from Jan 1 to Dec 31, 2020.
The sample included 2,096 counties (out of more than 3,000 in the country) that reported at least 20 coronavirus deaths during that time, representing a total of 319.1 million people.Direct, indirect causesFor every 100 deaths attributed to COVID-19,