Hispanic residents of Idaho are dying from COVID-19 at a younger age, on average, than non-Hispanic residents.
New data presented by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare Tuesday shows the average age of death from COVID for Hispanic people this year is 65. That’s about 8 years younger than the average for non-Hispanic people in Idaho.
"So that represents a lot of Hispanic folks dying in their 40s, and 50s and early 60s," said State Epidemiologist Dr. Christine Hahn.
Older people are at a greater risk of dying from COVID. But the percentage of older Hispanic people dying in Idaho of COVID is even greater than for non-Hispanic people.
“After about age 50 you’ll see a separation and increasing number of deaths in the Hispanic population,” Hahn said.
COVID-19 was the third-leading cause of death in Idaho last year. For the Hispanic population, it was the top cause. And so far this year, that’s holding true again.
The vaccination rate for the Hispanic people in Idaho is about 11% — slightly lower than the share they make up in Idaho's overall population.
However, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare does not have ethnicity data for about one in four COVID-19 vaccinations in the state.
Find reporter Rachel Cohen on Twitter @racheld_cohen
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