By Joshua Moore
#AFROCoversCOVID
The coronavirus doesn’t discriminate. It affects people of all ages and nationalities, however, patterns indicate that Black people are more at risk than other ethnicities.
According to the COVID Data Tracker, Black people are dying 2 and a half times the rate of White people. For every 100,000 Black persons, 81 die. For every 100,000 White persons, 33 die, according to the COVID Tracking Project.
The data tracker also tracks the counties with the 20 highest infection rates and death rates.
Randolph Rowell, associate professor and chair of Department of Behavioral Health Sciences at Morgan State University. (Courtesy of Morgan State University)
The data suggests that the counties with the highest infection rates are predominantly White. Meanwhile, the counties with the highest death rates are predominantly Black, according to the same project.
The question is: why are Black people suffering more from the virus than others?
The Pew Research Center conducted a survey in June of U.S. adults. They came to four conclusions.
*One: Black people are more than likely to live in densely populated areas.
*Two: Black people are more likely to have other health conditions that put them at risk.
*Three: Black people are more likely to work in industries that require contact with people.
*Four: Black people are less likely to get adequate health care concluded Pew Center.
Of these four, it is more likely that underlying health conditions are the cause for the greater risk for Black people.
Randolph Rowel, Ph.D., an associate professor of Morgan State University School of Community Health and Policy, believes Black people’s suffering is a combination of all four factors as they all play a role within each other.
He said that densely populated areas such as Baltimore City leads to less access to adequate health care. Black people, Rowell, 69, continued, are more likely to work where there is more contact with people. This will inevitably put them more at risk not only for them, but their loved ones, affecting their health.
“The environment which I live in has a lot to do with my health,” said Rowel. ”It’s a complex issue where all these things come together that affect the outcome.”
Samuel Leonard, 20, a Chicago native that works as a home help aide, said that underlying health conditions are the cause. He believes the excess amount of neighborhood fast food restaurants has a negative impact on the health of Black people who live in big cities.
“From my experience, you always see a McDonald’s or a Jimmy John’s around the corner,” said Leonard. “But you rarely see a health and fitness place around.”
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) published a report of a study based in Atlanta, Ga. that took place in March. The study indicated that Black patients were more likely to be hospitalized than White patients. In fact, 79 percent of Black patients were hospitalized compared to a 13 percent of White patients hospitalized.
Interestingly enough, only 20 percent of patients with no underlying conditions were hospitalized. Thirty-seven percent of patients with one underlying condition were hospitalized. Thirty percent of patients with two underlying conditions were hospitalized, indicating that underlying conditions are associated with hospitalization.
The study also suggests that patients with diabetes mellitus have a strong association with hospitalization. Thirty-seven percent of patients who have diabetes mellitus were hospitalized compared to 10 percent of patients who have diabetes mellitus and were not hospitalized.
The virus is more prevalent in Black communities, while the causes can be disputed, this pattern shows that Black people are more at risk.
The writer is a student in the Morgan State University School of Global Journalism and Communication.
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