It’s no doubt that COVID-19 is a virus that’s affecting everyone, but to tell the truth, there are a lot of communities suffering more than most — particularly Black and Brown communities. It starts off with who has the most access to testing, healthcare and health insurance in the first place. Health disparities have always existed for the African American community, and eventually the coronavirus will end, but those disadvantages will always be there. If you can’t afford health insurance or to get tested, then there’s no way to know if you’re carrying it — especially when there’s symptoms that may not start to appear until about two weeks in. By then, who knows how much it has already spread? Lack of access can also include no transportation if you don’t live close enough to a hospital either.
Most Black and Brown neighborhoods also lack healthy food options, green spaces and more populated dense areas, heightening their contact with other people and putting themselves more at risk. Some neighborhoods have already suffered from toxic exposures such as lead and other pollutants and toxins. We’re told to just stay home, but for some people, “home” may not be the best choice with these lack of resources.
Minorities make up almost 57% of essential workers, which puts many of them on the front line of risk of exposure: simply because they have to just do their job and afford to survive through this pandemic. These conditions further lead to ignorant exposure to people who are sick and to those who don’t care to follow guidelines and stay inside unless it’s essential. Recently, Jason Hargrove, a bus driver, after posting a viral video of one of the passengers repeatedly coughing on the bus, passed away from the coronavirus.
Criminalization also plays a part in the racial health disadvantages. Policing during COVID-19 may lead to some minorities being less likely to utilize social distancing and protection if they’re made to be targets. A Baltimore police officer is currently under investigation after a recording was found of him openly coughing at Black residents while patrolling through a public housing complex.
Racial bias in the micro-level fields, including receiving medical treatment, is a common factor in the rise of the deaths of minorities. Black and Brown patients are mostly spoken to rather than listened to. A lot of times, when minorities report symptoms or feel something isn’t right, they’re often ignored until it’s too late. Medical mistrust also stems from French Doctors stating that COVID-19 vaccines should be tested on poor Africans; European nations have a long history of using Black bodies as scientific and medical experiments rather than treating them as human beings, as seen in the infamous Tuskegee syphilis study.
We can all agree that it’s time for the U.S. government to implement legislation to close the racial gap in health disparities before this pandemic is over.
Najah Hendricks is a third-year majoring in social work with a minor in youth empowerment & urban studies. NH871270@wcupa.edu