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« on: January 12, 2021, 03:20:09 AM »
The coronavirus is destroying Warren Bell's life in New Orleans. His 81-year-old cousin was hospitalized due to COVID-19. Due to the epidemic, his youngest daughter took a vacation for cooking in a large restaurant. His eldest daughter nurse worked for 12 hours at the "New Orleans East Hospital", "COVID-19 patients began to die a few weeks ago."
"A paramedic died a week ago, and her supervisor is in isolation. Naturally, I I worry about her every day," said Bell, a former TV news anchor and radio host. A football coach at the school where his wife works and a longtime friend, Jazz Patriarch Ellis Marsalis recently died of the disease. He said: "This is a terrible thing."
In the center of American cities, the new coronavirus is destroying African-American communities. The environment in which most people live, the work they do, the prevalence of health conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes, and the treatment of medical institutions have caused a toxic storm of serious illness and death. (These common underlying conditions make the coronavirus worse.)
Among the cities, counties, and states that report racial data, the impact of the coronavirus on black communities is extremely large and disproportionate. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control, almost one-third of infections across the country affect black Americans, even though blacks make up only 13% of the American population. Similarly, according to the Associated Press analysis of available state and local data, nearly one-third of the people who died nationwide were black.
In some places, the death toll of African Americans is even higher. 36% of the recorded coronavirus deaths in Wisconsin are black, even though they only make up 6.7% of the state’s population. Of the deaths in Shelby County, Tennessee (including Memphis), 71% are African-Americans, accounting for half of the population.
In response to the inequality faced by African Americans and other races and minorities, the legally established Civil Rights Lawyers Committee worked with hundreds of medical professionals on April 6 to request the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the CDC Publish daily race and ethnicity data on COVID-19 testing and results. As the CDC still did not respond, the team sent a second letter because data from the other two weeks showed that the numbers were deteriorating.
The Commissioner of the City of Albany, Georgia, Demetrius Young said: "People are either shocked or numb." 90% of the dead were African Americans. "They are very afraid to wait to hear about the next death. People will feel a little tingling and will be frightened immediately. Someone called me and cried because a friend who had been to her house tested positive. She suffers from anxiety. . "
Why did it affect African Americans so much?
"Look in our community: you will see food deserts, transportation deserts, and educational deserts," said Dr. Celia J. Maxwell, an infectious disease physician and associate dean of the Howard University School of Medicine in Washington, DC. "You want [in order] to keep the community Good health has disappeared from our colored communities.”
Maxwell added: “For people of color, especially African Americans, they have to deal with too many issues-health, socioeconomic, poverty, education and Systemic racism.” “Considering all these factors, it is not surprising that these patients will be more susceptible to injuries such as COVID-19. The cause of the epidemic is the health care gap.
Health gap experts say that other contributing factors are Close ties between family, friends, and churches in black communities. In addition, urban areas and families are overcrowded.
COVID-19 has experienced gatherings attended by African Americans, including dances celebrating sheriff representatives and Detroit tight ballrooms; Funerals and birthday parties in Chicago; an annual African-American ski trip in Idaho, bringing together 600 skiers from all over the country and as far as London; and a carnival in New Orleans
despite being African American Many health problems that are common in the
U.S. make them more vulnerable, but some people (such as skiers) are relatively healthy, exercise and earn high salaries. Ebony Hilton, associate professor of anesthesiology and critical care medicine at the University of Virginia Dr. said that among the top 13 major causes of death in the United States, African Americans have a higher attack rate, eight of which are heart disease, stroke, cancer, influenza and pneumonia, diabetes, HIV, kidney failure, and homicide. .
She said: "I know that the coronavirus will cause a higher death rate in the African American community." "I know we will face an uphill battle. I can see the storm coming."
Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans Dr. Keith Ferdinand, a professor of medicine in the United States, said that many variables make African Americans more susceptible to COVID-19. They include working in the service industry or “basic jobs” that require them to expose themselves to other people who may be infected; using public transportation to go to work; lack of opportunities for early testing; and historical mistrust of the medical system due to previous biases . Ferdinand said that this has led to "the mixture of many difficulties faced by African Americans, which may increase or even aggravate the burden of coronavirus risk factors."
In addition, the former chairman of the Democratic Party of Maryland, Baltimore US House of Representatives candidate Maya Rocky Moore · Cummings (Maya Rockeymoore Cummings) said that many African Americans are focused on hourly work without health benefits. She said that they are either the first to lay off workers, they are now unemployed and uninsured, or they are considered "important workers" and are suffering from the virus. (See photos of basic workers in frontline services around the world.)
"When you collect trash, go to the store or look out the window," said Rockeymoore Cummings, who is also the widow of US Rep. Elijah Cummings. "We have overexposed people who have not protected their own interests."
From the cities, counties, and states that collected COVID-19 data, here are some findings.
Albany
, Georgia In this city of 75,000, 150 miles south of Atlanta, 90% of COVID-19 deaths are African Americans, compared with 72.5% of blacks in this town. Authorities said they believe that the two funerals and the annual Snickers Marathon, which may take place in the first week of March, with 1,000 athletes participating, contributed to the spread.
"We are still in a crisis phase," Young said. "We have already had 50 deaths. I have two friends that I will never forget. I have many acquaintances with the infected faith communities."
He said that the African-American community in Albany is very close, and the 30% poverty rate has increased. In this case. "Many people in the population have suffered from difficult access to medical care. And we have a large elderly population, which is not very healthy," he said.
One person serving on the jury of the famous murder trial seemed to inadvertently "spread the virus to many others in the court, including the chief judge who fought for his own life. Since then, another judge has died.
Albany Royal The church pastor, Rev. Jarod Pierce, said that he only left home when absolutely necessary. He said that one of the reasons it was hit so badly was that people didn’t take it seriously until it was hit. Close to home. "Someone called me last week. Their mothers, grandmothers and uncles all fight for their lives. "
Although the mayors across the state have responded and public health leaders have warned to proceed with caution, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp relaxed some social isolation measures on Friday and opened some non-essential businesses. Including hair salons, nail salons, barber shops and bowling alleys. The
mayor’s website states that in the country’s capital, 81% of the deaths are African Americans, compared to 46% of the city’s population. Many deaths occurred in the city. The poorest and predominantly African-American community.
Sandy Henderson, the retired conference manager, is one of 600 African-American skiers in the United States and as far as London. He left for Idaho in early March. State Ketchum participated in the annual national skier sorority. Henderson of the Washington DC subsidiary Black Ski Inc. and her companion fell ill. The
69-year-old Henderson said: “I feel so cold. All I can do is climb the stairs to cover up. "Their doctor prescribed two antibiotics for common bacterial infections and sent them home. Later this week, Henderson fainted on the bathroom floor.
A few days later, when they still felt bad, they knew something was wrong. In the nearest emergency room, they were tested for influenza, streptococcal laryngitis, and COVID-19. Three days later, they all found positive for COVID-19. After both were deemed to be in no danger, the hospital sent them home.
Henderson said that at the same time, as many as 100 people fell ill from ski trips and at least 4 people died. She and her companions are fortunate not to suffer from underlying health problems, which makes this disease so deadly to others.
Chicago
Although African Americans make up only 30% of the city’s population, 56% of its deaths are African Americans. Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot said these figures are “disturbing” and “a profound reminder of the deep-seated problems
that have caused different health effects in Chicago’s communities for a long time.” It is personal to Marshall Hatch, the pastor of the historic Johor Bahru Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church. "My sister died of a corona-related disease 7 days ago. My best friend passed a few days before that."
He said that the church is providing virtual services, with "a singer, a minister, a Famous musicians" and producers broadcast live. "Naturally, our [streaming media] numbers have increased tenfold. Due to anxiety, fear and isolation, these services are people’s spiritual lifeline."
He said that Hatch’s church is one of the largest churches in Chicago’s West Side, and One of the poorest communities in the city. The church suffers from violence and unemployment, and its average life expectancy ranks second among the 77 neighborhoods of Chicago. "This epidemic magnifies the inequality that people experience every day."
Hatch said, this is "the story of two cities." "The life expectancy gap between our community and other communities is huge, which is unethical. Our disease is based on stress, food deserts, and violence in desperate communities."