Association of Black Cardiologists Advocates for Vaccinations in Communities of Color Black Americans are dying from COVID-19 at higher rates than others -- but they are also getting vaccinated at lower rates News provided by Share this article Share this article WASHINGTON, Jan. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Our nation has reached a grim milestone in the COVID-19 pandemic: over 400,000 Americans have died from complications of the coronavirus. Black Americans are 3.7 times as likely as white Americans to be hospitalized with COVID-19 and 2.8 times as likely to die. Blacks and people of color are not inherently more susceptible to COVID-19 illness and mortality, however, existing structural racism contributes to the health disparities.