As the United States reels from coronavirus with infections surpassing 370,000, killing nearly 11,000 people across the country, the deadly virus is wreaking havoc in African American neighborhoods. Stark statistics from Chicago have underscored the heavy toll of coronavirus on black Americans. According to the city's data, more than half of the people in Chicago who have contracted COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus, and over 70 percent of those who have died are African Americans, health officials and Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Monday. African Americans make up 30 percent of the city's population. Other cities with large black populations, including Detroit, Milwaukee, New Orleans and New York, have become coronavirus hotspots. Coming back to Chicago, 98 people have died from COVID-19 in the city so far. Of those 98 deaths, 67 were African American. "This is something that is a public health red alarm that we have to make sure that we are stepping up as a community to address it — and we are going to be activating every part of the black and brown communities, from the faith community to elected officials to neighborhood organizations and, of course, the network of health providers, not just the hospitals but also the doctors, the insurance companies," Mayor Lori Lightfoot said. "This is something we have to tackle as a community." But just how widespread the disparities might be across the country is difficult to know, because most states and the federal government haven't released demographic data on the race or ethnicity of people who've tested positive for the virus. That's created an information gap that could aggravate existing health disparities, prevent cities and states from equitably distributing medical resources and potentially violate the law, advocates say. Some Democratic lawmakers have also pressed the federal government to release the data. Advocates say the lack of information makes it impossible to know whether resources are being fairly distributed or whether some groups are getting cut out, notably those, like African Americans, who are more likely to have underlying health conditions. Low-income people of color are also more likely to have jobs that can't be done remotely, meaning they're more likely to be exposed to the virus while more affluent professionals are able to stay at home. And they're less likely to have access to high-quality private testing or medical care. — Agencies
