A 2021 Harvard University study that suggested reparations for Black Americans, along with systemic racism, may have played a significant role in the transmission of COVID-19 resurfaced ahead of the new year.
Outkick’s Ian Miller wrote about the study on December 31, questioning why Harvard’s research and claims “flew under the radar.” A group of 10 Harvard Medical School members, led by Eugene T. Richardson, compared COVID-19 data from Louisiana to that of South Korea over a two-month period in 2020. They cited “social equity” in comparing a state to an entire country.
“While there are compelling moral and historical arguments for racial-injustice interventions such as reparations, our study considers potential health benefits in the form of reduced SARS-CoV-2 transmission risk,” the study claimed. “A restitutive program targeted towards Black individuals would not only decrease COVID-19 risk for recipients of the wealth redistribution, the mitigating effects would also be distributed across racial groups, benefiting the population at large.”
Miller, who published a book entitled Unmasked: The Global Failure of COVID Mask Mandates in 2022, criticized the study as “insane.” He also took issue with the study’s argument that income prevents COVID-19 transmission.
Though the COVID-19 vaccine might be more difficult to get this fall, Illinois is set to make its own recommendations this month.
Dr. Olusimbo “Simbo” Ige talks about her concerns regarding an upcoming CDC ACIP meeting to finalize COVID-19 guidelines. https://t.co/K5mn4GnD9t pic.twitter.com/codVKUyBrs
— WTTW – Chicago PBS (@wttw) September 10, 2025
“This jaw-droppingly moronic methodology apparently ignores that there might be many other differences between the populations of Louisiana and South Korea,” Miller wrote. “Like, for example, underlying health or obesity rates. It also ignores that COVID transmission, within specific windows, is influenced by seasonality, variants, and many other considerations.”
None of those involved in the study had publicly responded to Miller or Outkick as of Thursday morning.
As of September 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that COVID-19 was the only cause of death mentioned on 5% of death certificates. On average, those who died had roughly four additional conditions listed, ranging from influenza and pneumonia to diabetes and obesity.
Few Americans say the CDC’s new guidelines have influenced their decision about whether to get an updated COVID-19 vaccine.
44% have heard “nothing at all” about the new guidelines, while most of the rest say the guidelines have had no influence on them.https://t.co/Y35R8e9vHc pic.twitter.com/pKgDXxuKqd
— John Gramlich (@johngramlich) November 20, 2025
More than 530,000 people had influenza and pneumonia on their death certificates. Another 436,333 had respiratory failure, and nearly 215,000 had hypertensive diseases listed.
“The study authors also claim that the relatively higher risk of severe illness or death that Black Americans faced from COVID wasn’t due to preexisting underlying conditions like cancer or diabetes, or a ‘personal failure’ to follow public health guidance,” Miller wrote. “No, it’s because of racism and lack of reparations, of course.”
As of September 2023, the CDC found that more than 157,189 non-Hispanic Black people had died from COVID-19. That ranked third among all demographics, trailing non-Hispanic whites (759,294) and Hispanics (172,225). The CDC’s data include all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and New York City.
