For the first time in about 10 years, the mortality rate among Los Angeles County’s Latino population has surpassed that of white residents.
According to new data shared by the LA County Department of Public Health, the rates for Latinos living in the area increased by 48 percent between 2019 to 2020, going from a rate of 511 deaths per 100,000 Latinos to a rate of 756. For comparison, Black residents saw a 23 percent increase during the period; while Asians and whites saw increases of 22 percent and 7 percent, respectively. And although every group saw their mortality rate rise between 2019 to 2020; Latinos were the only group whose rate worsened in the following year.
The data shows that Latinos accounted for more than half of COVID-19-related deaths in the county during that two-year period. From 2019 to 2020, the Latino mortality rate rose by 42 percent, and approximately 70 percent of those excess deaths were related to the virus.
Experts point out the figures conflict with the “Latino paradox” concept, which is based on data that shows Latinos had longer life expectancies than white people, despite having higher rates of un-insurance and poverty. According to officials, about 42 percent of Latinos did not have health insurance, while only 15 percent of white residents were uninsured.
But not all health experts were surprised by the spike in Latino mortality rates.
“The reality is that it’s not a surprise,” Dr. Ilan Shapiro, medical affairs officer and chief medical correspondent for AltaMed, told NBC News. “The [Latino] community is made out of essential workers, and we have a very diverse workforce. But if you put that on top of what’s happening, a lot of our family members don’t have even insurance. They cannot afford it, or they can’t get it.”
