Ethnic-racial composition of the population in COVID-19 mortality: A spatial ecological approach to Brazilian health inequalities.

The COVID-19 pandemic has unevenly affected regions, countries, and ethnic-racial segments. Socioenvironmental factors were associated with worse disease evolution, with a greater likelihood of mortality in vulnerable people. This study aimed to investigate the association between the proportion of vulnerable populations (Black, brown, and Indigenous people) and mortality from COVID-19 in Brazil from March 2020 to February 2021. Mortality rate ratios and respective 95% Confidence Intervals (95%CI) were estimated using negative binomial regression models. Statistically significant associations were found between the proportion of these populations and mortality rates, emphasizing Blacks in the first four-month period, mixed race in the second four-month period, and Indigenous people in the third four-month period, in which an increase of 54%, 16% and 27% in mortality rates was observed, respectively, for every 10% increase in the proportion of these populations. We highlight the existence of ethnic-racial inequalities in COVID-19 mortality in Brazil and that efforts must be made to mitigate health inequalities, an expression of the perpetuated structural racism and social exclusion of historically vulnerable groups.