Unveiling the Impact: A Scoping Review of the COVID-19 Pandemic’s Effects on Racialized Populations in Canada

Menna Komeiha, Iryna Artyukh, Oluwasegun J. Ogundele, Q. Jane Zhao, Notisha Massaquoi, Sharon Straus, Fahad Razak, Benita Hosseini, Navindra Persaud, Sharmistha Mishra, Azza Eissa, Mathieu Isabel and Andrew D. Pinto ()
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Menna Komeiha: Upstream Lab, MAP, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, ON M5B 1T8, Canada
Iryna Artyukh: Upstream Lab, MAP, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, ON M5B 1T8, Canada
Oluwasegun J. Ogundele: Upstream Lab, MAP, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, ON M5B 1T8, Canada
Q. Jane Zhao: Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5T 3M6, Canada
Notisha Massaquoi: Department of Health and Society, University of Toronto Scarborough, Scarborough, ON M1C 1A4, Canada
Sharon Straus: Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5T 3M6, Canada
Fahad Razak: Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5T 3M6, Canada
Benita Hosseini: Upstream Lab, MAP, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, ON M5B 1T8, Canada
Navindra Persaud: Department of Family and Community Medicine, St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, ON M5B 1W8, Canada
Sharmistha Mishra: Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5T 3M7, Canada
Azza Eissa: Upstream Lab, MAP, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, ON M5B 1T8, Canada
Mathieu Isabel: Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5T 3M7, Canada
Andrew D. Pinto: Upstream Lab, MAP, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, ON M5B 1T8, Canada

IJERPH, 2025, vol. 22, issue 7, 1-28

Abstract: Objectives: The objective of this study was to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on racialized communities and individuals in Canada. Methods: This review followed the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology and the PRISMA-ScR guidance on reporting scoping reviews. Ovid MEDLINE ALL, Embase Classic + Embase, CINAHL (Ebsco platform), PsycINFO, and Cochrane were searched for documents that were published after March 2020 and that reported on the social and economic impacts and health outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic on generally healthy racialized populations that reside in Canada. Synthesis: A total of 39 documents were included in this review. Our results show racialized communities faced greater social, economic, and health impacts from the pandemic. These impacts were manifested in the form of high COVID-19 morbidity and mortality rates, increased discrimination, worsening mental health, difficulty in accessing healthcare, and challenges related to accessing food and basic necessities. Conclusion: Canadian racialized groups have been inequitably affected by the COVID-19 pandemic due to pre-existing inequalities and emerging discrimination. Responsive policy action and robust pandemic preparedness efforts are indispensable in adopting a proactive stance to prevent racialized populations from bearing a disproportionate burden of negative health crises in the future. This necessitates addressing pre-existing disparities and targeting social and economic vulnerability areas. By doing so, we can mitigate the reported social, economic, and health impacts experienced by racialized groups, including challenges related to accessing basic necessities, deteriorating mental health, and barriers to healthcare access.

Keywords: COVID-19; disadvantaged populations; racialized; Indigenous; equity; discrimination (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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