Why Black Women Are More Likely to Die from COVID-19 Than White Men

Experts say its not surprising that the death rates would be so much higher for Black women than they are for white men.

Black women have more chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and obesity, which make them more vulnerable to severe COVID-19.

I think it has to do with the underlying conditions that Black women have and the fact that many of them are on the front lines as essential workers, said Dr. James E. K. Hildreth, an infectious disease expert and president of Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee.

I said from the beginning that our most vulnerable populations should get special attention in terms of prevention and mitigation, Hildreth told Healthline.

Now that we have vaccines rolling out, vulnerable populations should be among the first to get them, he added. But that was left up to the states to decide how to use them.