Table 1. Characteristics of Persons Tested for COVID-19, Overall and by Race.
| Characteristic | Patients, No. (%) | P value | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total (N = 2595) | Other racial group (n = 1810)a | African American (n = 785) | ||
| Age, y | ||||
| Mean (SD) | 53.8 (17.5) | 54.9 (17.7) | 51.3 (16.7) | .001 |
| ≥60 | 1004 (38.7) | 763 (42.2) | 241 (30.7) | .001 |
| Men | 978 (37.7) | 708 (39.1) | 270 (34.4) | .02 |
| Poverty status, ie, uninsured or receiving Medicaid | 716 (27.6) | 328 (18.1) | 388 (49.4) | .001 |
| Comorbiditiesb | .001 | |||
| 0 | 543 (20.9) | 394 (21.8) | 149 (19.0) | |
| 1-2 | 1421 (54.7) | 1011 (55.9) | 410 (52.2) | |
| ≥3 | 631 (24.3) | 405 (22.4) | 226 (28.9) | |
| BMI, mean (SD) | 31.5 (8.2) | 30.8 (7.8) | 33.2 (8.8) | .001 |
| Missing BMI | 371 (14.3) | 125 (15.9) | 246 (13.6) | .13 |
| History of smoking or current smoker | 1151 (44.3) | 821 (45.4) | 330 (42.0) | .11 |
| Symptoms | ||||
| Fever | 667 (25.7) | 451 (24.9) | 216 (27.5) | .16 |
| Cough | 1690 (65.1) | 1168 (64.5) | 522 (66.5) | .33 |
| Shortness of breath | 1157 (44.6) | 768 (42.4) | 389 (49.6) | .001 |
| Diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, or abdominal pain | 321 (12.4) | 177 (9.8) | 144 (18.3) | .001 |
| Other symptoms | 514 (19.8) | 357 (19.7) | 157 (20.0) | .86 |
| Outcomes | ||||
| COVID-19 positive | 369 (14.2) | 151 (8.3) | 218 (27.8) | .001 |
Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared); COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019.
a
Other racial group included White, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, Native American or Alaska Native, and Asian patients as well as patients with unknown racial identification.
b
Comorbidities were categorized based on presence of diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, lung disease, kidney disease, and cancer, excluding skin malignancies.