Irving Vega, Ph.D.:
COVID-19 unrooted health and healthcare disparities in our society due to socio-economic status. These disparities are founded on social determinants of health, which are driven by a lack of access to affordable health insurance, the impact of institutionalized racism, and a disparity in quality education and educational opportunities.
The result of social determinants of health is poor physical and mental health outcomes. Therefore, those at low socio-economic status tend to have higher prevalence of metabolic disorders and cardiovascular disease, which seem to increase the risk for worse health outcomes in COVID-19 infected individuals.