The heavy burden didn’t surprise Brittany Morey, a public health professor at UC Irvine researching social and health inequities in Pacific Islanders.

Pacific Islanders are likely more vulnerable to coronavirus since they are more likely to face poverty, live in dense neighborhoods and crowded homes, and work low-wage essential jobs that increase their risk of exposure.

And while public health researchers lump Pacific Islander data with Asians, they probably share more social-economic traits and chronic conditions with African Americans, Morey said.