Latinos in the U.S. live approximately three years longer than non-Latino whites in what many refer to as the Latino mortality advantage. That changed with the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a Lerner Center research brief, co-authored by Assistant Professor of Sociology Marc Garcia, the coronavirus reshaped the nation's mortality patterns and the long-standing Latino mortality advantage, particularly among older Latinos. 

"COVID-19 has diminished the long-standing Latino advantage in all-cause mortality relative to whites due to their disproportionate rate of COVID-19 deaths, particularly during the first two years of the pandemic," wrote Garcia and co-author Rogelio Sáenz. They found that COVID-19 mortality disparities are "likely driven by structural factors that are modifiable by governmental intervention." 

Read more in the NBC News article, "Covid-19 narrows long-standing Latino mortality advantage, study finds."