Ask a Scientist: Pandemic Maps Tell the Story of Racial Inequity Baltimore County Government Elliott Negin, senior writer | March 11, 2021, 9:35 am EDT Much has been written about the glaringly disproportionate impact of the coronavirus pandemic on racial and ethnic minorities. Black, Latino, and Native Americans are at least three times more likely to be hospitalized by COVID-19 and at least two times more likely to die from it than Whites, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. On top of our country’s sorry history of discrimination, there are many reasons for this disparity, including the fact that racial and ethnic minorities are overrepresented in essential and frontline occupations where they work within close proximity to others, are paid less than Whites in those jobs, and are less likely to have health benefits, according to December 2020 Urban Institute report. They also are more likely to live in multigenerational households than Whites, which can lead to greater coronavirus transmission.