Numbers are based on sample in line with state diversity, but may not show actual impact
30% of the cases of all coronavirus cases that have been evaluated in the state of California correspond to Latinos, while 29% of the deaths from the pandemic have corresponded to this community.
SHowever, these Numbers provided by the California Department of Public Health that keep track of COVID-19 may not reveal the actual impact between Latinos and other ethnic groups because they are based on a sample of 37% of cases and 39% of deaths.
"Statistics are showing us that low-income minorities are being disproportionately affected by the coronavirus. Very few or almost no testing centers have been established in these communities, ”said Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas when launching a coronavirus testing center at the Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science opposite Martin Luther King Hospital to serve South Los Angeles County.
This testing site will work with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health to collect demographic information, including ethnicity and zip code regarding the number of tests performed, results, hospitalizations, and death rates.
Ridley-Thomas noted that testing for the disease helps to flatten the COVID-19 spread curve. "It is extremely important that we make this evidence available to battered minority communities."
But in addition, he argued that demographic information is vital to ensure that resources are appropriately and equitably distributed and designed to serve the communities that need it most.
Latinos in California make up 39% of the population against whites who make up 37%.
African Americans make up 6% of the population; and in that same percentage the incidence of cases due to the coronavirus has been presented among them. They represent 3% of all deaths, according to figures from the State Department of Public Health.
Asians make up 15% of the state population, but 14% of all cases in the state have been in that ethnic group, as well as 16% of all deaths.
"Now more than ever, it is imperative that we make sure we continue our work against the health disparities, which have been around for a long time, to ensure greater access and equity to our communities' resources," said supervisor Ridley-Thomas .
Dr. Deborah Prothrow-Stith, president of Drew University medical school, said that poverty, institutional racism, poor public schools, lack of health insurance and access to health are factors that add to the risk of acquiring the coronavirus in communities of color.
"The high rates of chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and kidney failure that are prevalent among African Americans explain the high proportions of COVID-19 in this ethnic group," he said. These are health conditions that are also very common among Latinos.
