Image from ghlf.org

Emily Samson

 When the coronavirus pandemic began, the phrase we’re all in this together was all over social media. The virus was supposed to be “the great equalizer”. It had the potential to infect anyone and everyone. But as more data emerges, we’re learning that not everyone is affected equally.

 In the United States, the coronavirus mortality is 2.3 times higher for Black Americans than White Americans. This is a higher mortality rate than any other racial group living in the United States. While black people make up 13% of the United States population, they represent 25% of all deaths in the pandemic. If Black Americans were dying at the same rate as White Americans, 15,000 more black people would be alive today.

The disparities in outcomes are a result of many systemic issues including decreased access to healthcare, less insurance coverage, and worse living and working conditions. For example, essential workers face a higher risk of infection, and black people are more likely to be in the frontline than any other racial group. Despite this risk, black workers are less likely to be employed in jobs that provide benefits such as paid sick leave, which could protect workers if they get sick. 

Black Americans are also more likely to have underlying health conditions that place them at higher risks for mortality from the virus. Historically, black people have faced more problems with health conditions such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and HIV that increase the risk of mortality from the coronavirus. The systemic issues combined with the risk of comorbidities are factors that lead to the disproportionate number of deaths in the black population. 

The coronavirus epidemic is manifesting extensive health disparities for Black Americans– the racial and socioeconomic inequities in American healthcare– making meaningful systemic changes more pressing.

https://www.apmresearchlab.org/covid/deaths-by-race

https://pnhp.org/news/health-care-system-a-major-factor-in-african-americans-poorer-health/

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/apr/16/black-workers-coronavirus-covid-19