Simon P, Ho A, Shah MD, et al. - In the US, lower rates of mortality are reported among Latino individuals, relative to non-Latino White individuals, despite higher rates of poverty, which is often referred to as the “Latino mortality paradox.” Researchers herein described trends in mortality in the Latino population during pre pandemic period (from 2011 through 2019) and pandemic period (from January through December 2020) when compared with the non-Latino White population in the county.

• Death certificate data from the California Comprehensive Death Files (CCDF) and mid-year population estimates were used to determine deaths and annual age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMRs; adjusted to the US 2000 standard population).

• In the analysis, 465,389 deaths were included.

• Of these deaths, 37.5% occurred among Latino individuals, 62.5% among White individuals, 51.9% among males, and 48.1% among females.

• From 2011 through 2019, the Latino population had lower annual AAMRs relative to the White population (516.0 deaths vs 630.3 per 100,000 in 2019; AAMR ratio, 0.82).

• However, an increased in the AAMR appeared in 2020 to 741.7 deaths per 100,000 in the Latino population vs 699.0 deaths per 100 000 in the White population (AAMR ratio, 1.06).

• Overall, there was reversal of the long-standing mortality advantage in the Latino population in Los Angeles County during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Most of this reversal was attributable to deaths from COVID-19.

• There was an increase in heart disease and diabetes AAMRs among Latino individuals from 2019 to 2020 that was not recorded among White individuals.

• Among Latino individuals, these findings are suggestive of increased risks of SARS-CoV-2 infection linked with crowded living conditions and low-wage employment in unsafe work settings, as well as elevated risks of disease progression linked with a higher prevalence of comorbidities.

• There may be partially reduced access to medical services, including preventive services, as indicated by the increases in mortality from heart disease and diabetes among Latino individuals.