In California, Hawaiians And Other Pacific Islanders Have Highest COVID-19 Death Rate
A Los Angeles Times analysis found Pacific Islanders, including Native Hawaiians, are disproportionately dying in relation to their population in California.
Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders have the highest death rate for COVID-19 in California, according to an analysis by the Los Angeles Times.
“Overall, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders are dying the most disproportionately — at four times their share of the state’s population,” the paper reported on April 25. “They are followed by black and Asian Californians.”
While Pacific Islanders make up a relatively small percentage of California’s population, four of the 10 U.S. counties with the largest Pacific Islander communities are in California, according to 2018 census data. Los Angeles had more Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander residents in 2018 than Maui County.
Several states and cities have found that the coronavirus pandemic is having a disproportionate effect on minority communities. The Oregon Health Authority reported last week that Pacific Islanders had the highest coronavirus infection rate in the state compared to their share of the state’s population.
Click here to read the Los Angeles Times’ analysis.
