Black and Hispanic children faced sharply higher hospitalization rates for COVID-19 during the first three years of the pandemic, a multi-state analysis published in JAMA Network Open reveals. Based on more than 13,500 cases across 12 states, the study found that hospitalization rates were over twice as high for Black children (2.15 times) and Hispanic children (2.06 times) compared to Asian or Pacific Islander peers.
These disparities deepened when children were admitted to intensive care. ICU admission was 1.88 times higher for Black children and 2.13 times higher for Hispanic children. Most hospitalizations occurred in children under age 4, and even within that age group, Black and Hispanic kids were disproportionately affected.
Though hospitalization rates declined after 2022, researchers noted the racial gaps persisted. “Hospitalization rates among Black and Hispanic children remained consistently higher compared with Asian or Pacific Islander children for each period,” they wrote.
Nearly all children hospitalized—regardless of race—had not received the recommended COVID vaccine. The authors suggest that underlying conditions such as asthma and chronic illness, particularly among Black children, may contribute to elevated risk. They emphasized the urgent need to increase vaccination uptake and early treatment access to reduce inequities.
This report adds to a growing body of research underscoring how racial and ethnic disparities continue to shape children’s vulnerability in public health crises.
See: “Analysis shows higher COVID hospitalization rates for Black, Hispanic kids” (July 16, 2025)
