Attacking Lethal Health Disparities: How To Fix The Underlying Problems That Put Black and Brown Families At Greater Risk Of Dying from Coronavirus

By TC. VIRGINIA FIELDS and DOUG WIRTH, New York Daily News

While the coronavirus pandemic is having a profound and disruptive effect on everyone’s lives, some communities are bearing the brunt of the burden. Data coming in from around the nation makes it clear that communities of color are being hit particularly hard. In Louisiana and Chicago, African Americans accounted for about 70% of COVID-19 deaths, even though they are a minority in both areas. Here in New York City, Black people have accounted for 28% of COVID-19 deaths, despite being only 22% of the population; Hispanic New Yorkers make up 34% of COVID-19 deaths, although they represent only 29% of the population.