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Undocumented immigrants were at a sharply higher risk of death during the worst years of the COVID-19 pandemic, a finding that has implications for future health emergencies, researchers reported in a new study based on an analysis of death certificates and other demographic data of people who died from natural causes in California.
Other studies have found racial and ethnic disparities for COVID deaths, but the new study is the first to look at the relationship between immigration status and other sociodemographic factors. The team, led by researchers at the University of California at Santa Cruz, detailed their findings last week in the American Journal of Public Health.
Undocumented group had 55% increase in death rate
For the study, the team examined death certificates for all California residents ages 25 and older who died from natural causes in the state between 2016 and 2023. The death certificates included birth country and whether decedents had a valid Social Security number, which allowed researchers to ascertain if people were documented or undocumented immigrants. They also included a range of other factors, including sex, age, race/ethnicity, educational attainment level, and occupation type.
Then the group looked for differences in pandemic-era survival outcomes, modeling absolute and relative excess mortality from March 2000 through May 2023, based on prepandemic mortality and other seasonal variables.
For potentially undocumented immigrants, researchers estimated a 55% increase in death rate above the prepandemic level, compared to 22% for immigrants who appeared to be documented and 12% for US-born citizens.
Alicia Riley, PhD, MPH, who led the group and is an associate professor of sociology at UC Santa Cruz and core faculty member in the UC Santa Cruz’s Global and Community Health Program, said in a university press release that her main takeway from the findings was just how high excess morality was in potentially undocumented immigrants. “A 55% increase in deaths above what was normal prior is really shocking, on a community level," Riley said. "Families are still living with the consequences of those deaths today.”
What drives higher death risks? --->READ MORE HERE
A County Antrim man whose father died during the Covid-19 pandemic has told the Covid-19 Inquiry that he never saw his dad again after lockdown as the care home his father was in closed without notice to families.
Ivor McQuitty, 84, died in May 2020 in hospital from Covid. He also had dementia and was profoundly deaf in both ears.
Speaking publicly for the first time about his father's death, Gregory McQuitty described his father as the most honest, hardworking and best man whom he models his life on.
Over five weeks, The Covid-19 Inquiry, sitting in London, has been hearing testimony from the care sector, including residents and families, about how they were supported during the pandemic.
Counsel for the NI Covid Bereaved Families Group said the "removal of contact with loved ones is for many a price too great to pay, it was too cruel, painful and must never be repeated".
Mr McQuitty said after lockdown the care home didn't contact the family to provide an update on their father and any contact was triggered by Mr McQuitty's family.
Gregory McQuitty said his father's death certificate said he died from Covid and secondly by heart failure.
"There are so many unanswered questions around my father's death... we just don't know what happened," he told the inquiry. --->READ MORE HEREFollow links below to relevant/related stories and resources:
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