Pandemics… the great leveler?

Abstract

Pandemics are seen as a leveler…but are they? While detailed data on the socio-economic status of COVID-19 victims are still not available, much indirect evidence suggests that the risk of falling seriously ill and dying from COVID-19 is higher among individuals with lower incomes and lower levels of education. Early data indicate that income could matter: There is now evidence showing a higher risk of mortality for some ethnic minorities in the UK and among African-Americans in the United States, populations also disproportionately in the lower quintiles of income and educational distributions. Aggregate data indicate higher COVID-19 mortality in the poorest neighborhoods of the USA and départements in France.