Coronavirus Hitting African American Neighborhoods Hard

The United States Surgeon General has warned African Americans are at a greater risk for coronavirus.

Coronavirus affects African American community 

Across the world, countries have been dealing with the impact of the novel coronavirus also known as Covid-19.

As the death toll continues to rise in the United States, recent statistics show African American communities are being hit the hardest. 

US Surgeon General Jerome Adams stated on CBS “This Morning” that African Americans were at greater risk of contracting the potentially deadly illness.

“I represent that legacy of growing up poor and black in America,” Adams said.

“And I and many black Americans are at higher risk for COVID, which is why we need everyone to do their part to slow the spread.”

COVID Statistics 

Adams explained that black Americans were more likely to have preexisting conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease and lack of access to health care.

In Chicago, 72% of the people who have died from Covid-19 are black, though they make up 30% of the population, officials said.

“This new data offers a deeply concerning glimpse into the spread of Covid-19 and is a stark reminder of the deep-seated issues which have long created disparate health impacts in communities across Chicago,” said Mayor Lori Lightfoot.

In Louisiana, where 32% of the population is African American, those residents account for about 70% of coronavirus deaths.

In Michigan, African Americans are 14% of the state’s population and represent about 40% of the deaths. Many of the cases are in Detroit, where four out of five residents are black.

The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and hundreds of medical professionals called for the federal government to release racial and ethnic data relating to the pandemic.

The group says it wants to “ensure that communities of color receive equitable health care and treatment.

They cited both the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the Affordable Care Act, which prohibit discrimination in health care services. The absence of data amounts to denial of appropriate care, the group argues.

“We are deeply concerned that African American communities are being hardest hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, and that racial bias may be impacting the access they receive to testing and healthcare,” Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the committee, said in a conference call with reporters on Monday.

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