Impacts of income inequality and the mediation role of reporting delays on COVID-19 deaths during 2020 and 2021 in Hong Kong: an observational study.

The disparity in COVID-19 deaths between income regions is not due to reporting delays, but rather to health inequities in Hong Kong. These risks may persist after the discontinuation of test-and-trace measures and extend to other high-threat respiratory pathogens. Urgent actions are required to identify vulnerable groups in low-income regions and understand the underlying causes of health inequities.