Why African-Americans are affected more from COVID-19?
Millions of people have been affected by COVID-19 since its outbreak. However, several studies from research have shown that this pandemic is hitting African-Americans hard in the United States particularly.
Recent data has been released by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showing that African-Americans have been hospitalized at a higher rate than any other racial group. According to the report, Black Americans are about 4.7 times as likely as non-Hispanic white Americans to be hospitalized due to this pandemic.
However, the CDC has pointed out some of the factors that are contributing to this situation. The major reason behind the higher rate of COVID-19 cases among Black people is that they live in highly dense populated areas.
Black people have several other health problems that increase the risk of their being affected while they also have inadequate health sources.
There are some social determinants of health that analyze why Black Americans are more affected by COVID-19.
According to the National Center for Health Sciences, the obesity rate among African-Americans is much higher than the other social groups. Whereas, Dr. Deidra Candice Crews says there are several societal factors that accord the obesity rate among Black Americans.
Meanwhile, the higher obesity rate and other chronic diseases are not the only reasons for the higher rate of COVID-19 cases among Black Americans. Another reason that incorporates is that Black Americans mostly live in densely populated areas where it is nearly impossible to practice social distancing.
CDC reports that there are healthcare disparities along racial and ethnic lines in American society. These gaps in the healthcare system contribute towards the limited healthcare sources for Black Americans. All the factors are connected with structural inequality, racism, and segregation that had affected the lives of Black Americans for many decades.
About the Author
