COVID-19 data on Native Americans is ‘a national disgrace.’ This scientist is fighting to be counted | Science | AAAS

COVID-19 data on Native Americans is ‘a national disgrace.’ This scientist is fighting to be counted | Science | AAAS

The unequal toll on Native Americans

American Indians and Alaska Natives are 3.5 times more likely to be diagnosed with COVID-19 than are non-Hispanic white people, according to an analysis of data from 23 US states by Abigail Echo-Hawk. But gaps in reporting mean that the full impact of the pandemic on Indigenous communities remains unclear. “The data is a national disgrace,” says Echo-Hawk, a citizen of the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma and director of the Urban Indian Health Institute. “How can decisions be made in the United States to prevent, intervene, and treat COVID-19, when you can’t even truly tell what populations are most affected?”
Science | 8 min read
Reference: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report