Coronaviruses (CoVs) are a large family of viruses which consist of enveloped, single-stranded
RNA viruses that can infect a broad range of hosts including birds, wild, mammals, and humans.
Coronaviruses are well-recognized for their ability to mutate quickly, change tissue tropism,
jump interspecies barriers and adapt to ecological variations (Decaro et al. 2010). A novel
member of human CoV that has recently emerged in Wuhan, China, is now formally named as
SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) and the diseases was termed
coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). This is a unique strain of RNA viruses that have not
been previously observed in humans. This virus is originated in bats but may have had an
intermediate mammalian host prior to transfer to humans. As of 1st June 2020, the disease has
caused a worldwide pandemic in approximately 213 countries, with more than 6,000,000
confirmed human cases and 373,900 deaths (Worldometer 2020). The modes of human-tohuman transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is through direct contact, respiratory droplets, fecal–oral
route, and surface contact from both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients during the
incubation period (Helmy et al. 2020). This disease results in respiratory or gastrointestinal
infections. To contain the rapid spread of the virus, authorities ordered limitation of international
and domestic travel, limitation of restaurants to delivery and takeout, closure of all educational
institutions and restriction of large gatherings.
Notably, COVID-19 has shown significant worldwide variability, especially in terms of the
death/recovery ration within the same time frame. Infected individuals from some countries
experienced fast pace of recovery with lower morbidities whereas those from some other parts of
the world experienced slow pace of recovery and demonstrate relatively higher death/recovery
ratios. Systematic reviews of ethnically homogenous cohorts from China suggest that the key
risk factors of severe COVID-19 include age, male sex, and comorbidities such as cardiovascular
disease, hypertension, and diabetes (Li et al. 2020). Recently, there is emerging concerns and
evidences about the possible association between ethnicity, incidence and outcomes of COVID19. In the United States, the latest overall data from 27th May 2020 identified the COVID-19
mortality rate for Black Americans is 2.4 times as high as the rate for Whites and 2.2 times as
high as the rate for Asians and Latinos (APM, 2020). As of 27th May 2020, per capita COVID-19
deaths among the Black Caribbean population in England are three times those of white British
population, reported by Institute for Fiscal studies (Astbury-Ward 2020). From a biological
perspective, the higher incidence and severity in ethnic minority groups may be associated with
genetic polymorphism, pathophysiological factors and underlying health conditions.