(4 minutes read)
· The US officials worry that the COVID-19 outbreak is disproportionately hitting African Americans and Hispanics harsher than other groups
· Dr. Deborah Birx , coordinator for the White House coronavirus task force, said that efforts are being done to improve messaging on the risks of the virus among the African Americans and others
· New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio during a press briefing hinted that people of color and people in lower-income communities are getting hit disproportionately affected. However, the city has not released any data to that effect. Experts feel that the disparity should be fully understood and preventive measures taken.
The US officials worry that the COVID-19 outbreak is disproportionately hitting African Americans and Hispanics harder than other groups. That has forced the state and local officials to track the impacts on the basis of different ethnicities.
Dr. Anthnony Fauci, who is a member of the task force constituted by President Donald Trump on coronavirus said that the disparities in healthcare status of the African American and other ethnic minorities has to be looked into. Conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and asthma disproportionately affect these ethnic groups.
Dr. Deborah Birx , coordinator for the White House coronavirus task force, said that efforts are being done to improve messaging on the risks of the virus among the African Americans and others. However, he added that there was no data that suggests that these groups are more susceptible to disease.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio during a press briefing hinted that people of color and people in lower-income communities are getting hit disproportionately affected. However, the city has not released any data to that effect. Experts feel that the disparity should be fully understood and preventive measures taken.
Blasio however observed that in the multi-ethnic New York City’s Latino and African-American communities were dying of COVID-19 at a higher rate than whites. Hispanic people made up 34 percent of deaths while they constitute only 29 percent of the population. Black people, who represent 28 percent of fatalities constitute 22 percent of the population, while the Whites have 27 percent of the death toll and are 32 percent of the City’s population.
