WASHINGTON — Gay, lesbian and bisexual Americans are more prone to have underlying health conditions that could put them at higher risk of severe COVID-19, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study on Thursday.
Researchers had difficulty collecting data on those groups, and the CDC is now recommending that public health departments begin tracking the effects of COVID-19 on what the study refers to as sexual minority populations.
In November, the CDC gathered advocacy and health care organizations in listening sessions across the United States and discovered “major concern” was widespread throughout the LGBTQ community that information about sexual orientation and gender identity is not standard in COVID-19 data collection systems.
