CDC limits ordering of tetanus-diphtheria vaccine as it braces for shortage – University of Minnesota Twin Cities

A new analysis of all-cause mortality of Hispanic and Latino adults published in Annals of Internal Medicine shows Mexicans and Central Americans were most affected by the pandemic.

The study was based on trends seen among 15,568 adults aged 18 to 74 years who participated in the HCHS/SOL (Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos). Baseline mortality trends from 2008 through 2011 were compared to trends seen in 2020 and 2021.

Participants were recruited from the Bronx, New York City; Chicago; Miami; and San Diego and were of Central American, Cuban, Dominican, Mexican, Puerto Rican, and South American backgrounds.

Prior to the pandemic, cumulative mortality risks were higher in the Puerto Rican and Cuban groups (6.3% and 5.9%, respectively) and lowest in the South American group (2.3%). Mortality was higher among those born in the United States and lower among immigrants, and the increased mortality risk among Puerto Ricans and Cubans was most often associated with lifestyle factors, including diet.

"During the pandemic, marginal 2-year cumulative mortality risks adjusted for age ranged from 1.1% (South American) to 2.0% (Central American), and CIs [confidence intervals] overlapped across all groups," the authors wrote. "Our findings (based on 2 years of follow-up) suggest that mortality risks varied during the pandemic after adjustment for lifestyle and clinical factorsthat is, risks were somewhat higher for persons of Central American and Mexican backgrounds than for those of Puerto Rican and Cuban backgrounds."

Risks were somewhat higher for persons of Central American and Mexican backgrounds than for those of Puerto Rican and Cuban backgrounds

Lifestyle factors were second to socioeconomic factors in contributing to mortality, the authors wrote, as the pandemic emphasized discrepancies among Latino groups. For example, according to the 2020 census, 20.3% of Mexican Latinos had no insurance, compared with 8% of Puerto Rican Latinos.

In an editorial on the study, authors write the HCHS/SOL, "holds great promise for the further development of theoretical models and frameworks on Latino mortality and health," an area of study missing in US public health research.

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CDC limits ordering of tetanus-diphtheria vaccine as it braces for shortage - University of Minnesota Twin Cities