As the pandemic continues to upend lives around the globe, data on its effect on black Americans continues to echo the need for racial and healthcare equality. Blacks continue to die at alarmingly high rates from coronavirus and a recent analysis by APM Research Lab delves deeper into how and why this is happening. Counties with the highest proportion of African American residents are seeing the highest death rates, roughly double that of whites.
In majority black counties, deaths from coronavirus are more than triple the national average, according to an analysis of Johns Hopkins University and Census Bureau data. The disparities continue to rise as the death toll has climbed over the past several weeks.
Researchers stress that data is essential in deciding the best way to test and treat those communities hit the hardest. Although some cities, counties and states have broken out cases and deaths by race, that information is often incomplete. Among the 50 states and Washington, D.C., only 28 had racial breakdowns for both confirmed cases and deaths. In six of those states, race was unknown in 30% or more of reported cases.
There are many factors contributing to the disparate racial health outcomes. Black are about 30% more likely than white Americans to have pre-existing health conditions, such as hypertension and diabetes, that exacerbate the effects of the virus. People of color also face bias from health-care providers and are less likely to have health insurance.
In addition, minorities in the U.S. can have weakened immune systems because of a phenomenon called “weathering,” said Arline Geronimus, a professor of public health at the University of Michigan. The stress of poverty, crime, crowded living conditions, sleeplessness and other factors take a toll on health. Even those who don’t suffer from diabetes or heart disease are more vulnerable to contracting other diseases. This phenomenon, researchers say, can have lasting effects on populations for years, decades and even generations.
THE PANDEMIC
During a Senate hearing on Monday, members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force were questioned about the state of the pandemic, the administration’s response and what needs to be done to stop the spread. Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the U.S. has does not have “total control” of the pandemic and warned that more deaths should be expected if an adequate response is not implemented by fall. He added that the death toll is “almost certainly” higher than what’s been reported.
During the hearing, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield told lawmakers that CDC guidance on reopening states is currently going through “interagency review” and could be posted online “soon.” Several states have already begun reopening businesses and public spaces.
STATES
A security guard at a Target in Los Angeles was attacked by two men who refused to wear face masks inside the store, police said. The fight broke out on May 1 around 10:20 a.m. after Phillip Hamilton, 31, and Paul Hamilton, 29, were asked to leave the store for not wearing masks, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. As the guard escorted the two men out of the store, one of the suspects punched and attacked the guard, causing him to fall and break his arm.
The two men were arrested on felony battery charges and are each being held on a $50,000 bail.
Similar rules aimed at stopping the spread of COVID-19 have provoked threats or violence in some areas of the country.
POLITICS & BUSINESS
The Democratic National Committee is taking steps to prepare for a possible remote convention this summer, with a resolution being introduced to allow for changes to official proceedings given public health concerns. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, convention planners are exploring a range of contingencies for the August event in Milwaukee where Joe Biden is expected to be officially nominated as the Democratic Party’s candidate for president.
In an effort to reduce the number of people viewing false information, Facebook announced that it put misinformation warning labels on about 50 million pieces of content related to coronavirus during the month of April. Facebook and other tech platforms like Twitter are finding it difficult to stop the spread of misinformation on their platforms, particularly when shared in public and private groups.
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey told his employees that they will be allowed to work from home indefinitely, even after the coronavirus pandemic ends. In an email, Dorsey said it was unlikely that Twitter will open its offices before September and that all in-person events would be canceled for the rest of 2020.
Oprah Winfrey has announced “Oprah’s Your Life in Focus: A Vision Forward,” a free, live and interactive online experience that will feature four weekly events beginning May 16 to inspire viewers to “reclaim their path to self-care in the face of unprecedented change.”
Special guests will be announced later, and viewers can join the virtual experiences by registering at ww.com/oprah.
