Covid-19: Disproportionately Affecting the Black Community
Experiencing a pandemic was not something that could have been foreseen for the year 2020. As the number of cases of Covid-19 continue to rise in the United States, it becomes increasingly difficult to ignore the existing disparities. According to research, the government has been “forced” to acknowledge racial inequalities as a risk factor in contracting the virus. A report released by the Center for Disease control on new nationwide data revealed that 30 percent of coronavirus cases were African American despite African Americans only consisting of about 13 percent of the nation’s population. A chart released by the New York City Department of Health, providing information regarding rates of lab confirmed Covid-19 show that in terms of non-hospitalized cases, non-fatal hospitalized cases, and patients that were known to have died, African Americans outnumbered cases in each category in comparison to the Hispanic community, the Asian population, and whites. Though the data is not yet complete, it seems to be consistent with other data regarding coronavirus in different racial groups.
As worse health outcomes for African Americans is not a new phenomenon, this information does not come as a shocker to most. Many of the reasons leading Black Americans to being most at risk for the coronavirus can be attributed to the social determinants of health. These health determining factors include social and community context, health and health care, economic stability, and neighborhood and built environment.
Some examples of factors that fall under social and community context include discrimination and incarceration. In the United States, Black Americans are incarcerated at a disproportionate rate to the other racial groups, constituting about 40 percent of the prison population. Unfortunately for these incarcerated individuals, the conditions of these prisons are not conducive for preventing the spread of a virus with the inmates being confined in close quarters. As can be seen with the racism occurring in China towards the local Black population following a positive test of coronavirus of a local Nigerian man, discrimination is also playing as an important factor. Health and health care are probably the biggest factors contributing to the number of African Americans negatively impacted by the current pandemic. Black Americans are more likely to lack access to adequate health care. They are also more likely to lack the resources necessary for maintaining their own health. In addition, discrimination in the health care system not only discourages Black patients from seeking treatment, but also prevents them from getting proper treatment when they do seek it. Not to mention, African Americans have higher rates of underlying medical conditions which puts them at a much higher risk of contracting the virus. Lack of adequate health care and resources is also connected to built environment. Concentrated areas of poverty where the quality of living is poor tend to be African American communities. Furthermore, the poor conditions of these neighborhoods foster the spread of a virus and are not in reach of suitable health care.
So as we continue in an attempt to carry on with our daily lives through these “unprecedented times,” it is important that we continue to work towards eliminating the existing health disparities that are resulting in this disproportionate affect on the Back community. Rather than following similar patterns of the past and continuing to ignore the issue or dismissing illnesses as “Black diseases” as they become more prevalent in the Black community, there needs to be greater recognition that there are social factors that put African Americans at a more vulnerable state. This pandemic has revealed that there must truly be a change in the healthcare system to prevent this in the future.
For information you can visit these websites:
https://www.vox.com/coronavirus-covid19/2020/4/18/21226225/coronavirus-black-cdc-infection
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/04/10/4-reasons-coronavirus-is-hitting-black-communities-so-hard/
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/covid-19-affecting-people-of-color#Why-is-this-happening?
-Kira S.