COVID-19 Case-Fatality Rates in Michigan Are Higher for Arab Americans Compared With Non-Hispanic White Individuals for the Oldest Age Groups.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to estimate and compare the age-specific and sex-adjusted case-fatality rates (CFRs) among Arab Americans to Hispanic, non-Hispanic Black, non-Hispanic White, and Asian adults living in Michigan. Data from Michigan's vital records, surveillance data (March 2020-July 2021), and an Arab/Chaldean surname algorithm were used. We used χ² tests to determine statistically significant differences between groups. Logistic regression was used to estimate age-specific and sex-adjusted CFRs. Arab Americans had a lower CFR of 1.54% compared with Asian (1.97%), non-Hispanic White (2.17%), and non-Hispanic Black adults (3.36%), regardless of sex. For those 80 years of age or older, Arab American (30.72%) and Asian adults (31.47%) had higher CFR compared with the other racial or ethnic groups, with non-Hispanic White adults displaying a lower CFR of 18.28%. An Arab American ethnic identifier would likely increase the visibility of this population so that they can be included in the efforts to increase awareness, testing, and prevention strategies of COVID-19 or similar pandemics that might be facing us in the future.