COVID-19 in Arab Americans Revealed a Public Health Concern

Abstract

COVID-19 infection can lead to severe consequences, especially among ethnic minorities. Data about COVID-19 infection outcomes in the Arab American population as a minority ethnic group compared to other racial and ethnic minorities are lacking. We conducted a retrospective observational cohort study that included 1,740 hospitalized adult patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection from March 12th, 2020, to January 30th, 2021, at a single center to compare baseline characteristics and outcomes in Arabs hospitalized with COVID-19 to patients from other ethnic groups during the same study period. Of those, we identified 320 Arab patients. We found that Arab American population suffered similar odds of complications and adverse outcomes despite having fewer risk factors for severe illness.