Statistics on COVID-19 death rates show that in some countries there is a hugely disproportionate effect on certain races compared to their population percentage. So are they more susceptible to the disease?
Genetic factors (such as underlying conditions) do play a role in disease severity, but these cannot be classified by race.
Genetically, there is no evidence that the groups we divide into different races have any unifying genetic identities. Two people of Asian descent may be more genetically similar to a person of European descent than to each other.
Ultimately, humans share 99.9 per cent of each other’s DNA.
If race does not pre-determine our health on a genetic level, what does?
Sadly, race is still a prevalent social construct, with social conditions and access to healthcare varying among different ethnic groups. This highlights the importance of considering underlying societal prejudices when trying to understand the effects of any disease.