The Coronavirus and Racial Bias
Many people fail to identify, acknowledge, or accept that racial inequality issues still exist in the U.S.. But, with the awake of COVID-19, it is clear that there something needs to be done to address the issue of racial inequality. The virus is not race-specific, it affects both the black people as well as thousands of Americans of all races. However, the rate at which black people are being infected as well as dying from the virus is alarming. This has caught the attention of many people, including journalists. Many have sought to illuminate the public about racial data and to establish the underlying reasons behind the high figures as explored below.
While racial data in the many states paint a partial picture of the impacts of coronavirus on black people, early national data from some states signify that black people are the most represented in the number fatalities and infections from the virus. This has been published in many editorials, however, from the comparison of the report from N.Y. Times and Texas Tribune, the editorials exhibit significant similarities regarding COVID-19 and racial bias. N.Y. Times acknowledge that the rate at which the black people are affected by the disease is disproportionately high according to the data released by several states. For instance, for the statistics announced by the mayor of Chicago, it was pointed out that the black people accounted for more than 50% of the people who were COVID-19 positive and about 72% of fatalities related to the virus in Chicago. Various states, including Illinois, Louisiana, South Carolina, North Carolina, Las Vegas, Michigan, Connecticut, and Minnesota, have also shown racial disparities. The states have reported overrepresentation of black residents in the number of people who have died and tested positive of coronavirus. At the same time, Samuels of Texas Tribune also acknowledges that the virus is killing black Americans at a devastating rate. He reports that African-Americans account for approximately a third of positive cases of the virus in Michigan, and they represent nearly 40 percent of the fatalities in that state, even though they are about 14% of the state’s total population. In Louisiana, black people represent about 58% of the people who have succumbed to the virus.
The two editorials highlight that many medical officers feel that the racial inconsistencies in COVID-19 can be explained. This is attributed to the longstanding structural inequalities in health, access to care, and resources. The biases contribute to high numbers of uninsured African-Americans, making them more likely to have health comorbidities. Besides, the inequalities make black people face racial prejudice that hinders them from receiving prompt treatment for the virus. For instance, both N.Y. Times and Texas Tribune depict that some doctors could not refer black individuals who showed COVID-19 symptoms for testing. To qualify for testing, persons have to show conventional signs of the virus, which for some individuals, the symptoms present themselves differently. Furthermore, in both editorials, it is indicated that while authorities advocate for people to stay at home as a measure of avoiding the virus, the black-Americans do not belong to that part of the workforce having the luxury of working from home. That places them at high risk for contracting the virus in transit or at work.
Generally, the editorials clearly indicate that it is racial and class inequality that makes people of color more susceptible to the virus’s deadly effects. As some of the high ranking members have indicated, the disparities are bringing up serious issues in the healthcare sector. Therefore, urgency is required in the handling of the problem, or else it would be difficult to eradicate the virus in the whole nation.
References
Elgon, J., Burch, A. S., Searcey, D., & Oppel Jr., R. A. (2020, April 14). The New York Times.
Samuels, A. (2020, April 29). Black Texans Already Face Health Care Disparities. The Coronavirus Is Making It Worse. The Texas Tribune.