AAPI Nexus: Policy, Practice and Community

The COVID-19 epidemic in the United States has shed light on health disparities, and the social, economic, and political contexts in which they occur. With respect to race and ethnicity, much of the narrative surrounding Asian Americans has focused on xenophobia and historical parallels to discrimination targeting this population during prior outbreaks. One minority group whose unique contextual experiences and needs remain mostly absent in the discourse is the South Asian community. This essay aims to explain the distinct influences on and consequences of the epidemic on the second-largest Asian American population and to delineate specific recommendations within a framework of health equity.