COVID-19 and Minority Communities

                   COVID-19 has reportedly infected over 30 million people in the United States throughout the pandemic (COVID Data Tracker Weekly Review). It is clear that if we do nothing, we all will be negatively affected, but some minority communities in the United States have been affected more than the majority. These communities have been so severely affected compared to the white population that some question what action should be taken (The COVID Tracking Project). Many factors all play a part in a long list of factors contributing to the issue.
                   Discrimination makes it so that most minorities have more trouble getting better housing in more secure neighborhoods. According to the Center for Disease Control, the communities they typically live in are more crowded and more at risk during the pandemic. A majority of jobs that minorities have are considered essential, and as a result, they are exposed to COVID-19 far more than the white population. The gap in wealth throughout America makes it so that if someone has few job options make it less flexible to take a leave (Health Equity Considerations and Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups). The stats show that African Americans are 1.4 times to die from the virus (The COVID Tracking Project). According to the Center for Disease Control, racial groups, except Asians, are at least twice as likely to be hospitalized for COVID-19 (Risk for COVID-19 Infection, Hospitalization, and Death By Race/Ethnicity). With all these factors and weighing down minority groups, it is apparent that we must somehow acknowledge the issue in multiple ways.
                   If the continued trend of these communities is hit harder than others, we must do something that can help if the government needs to step in and decide what would be best for supporting these communities. Having a total lockdown to ensure that spread of COVID-19 is limited may also ensure that minorities are not affected more than any other. Still, then that would require packages including some form of income and possibly food for the families. What we should do next is unknown, but we must do something.          

         

Works Cited

          Center for Disease Control. "Health Equity Considerations and Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021, www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/health-equity/race-ethnicity.html.
          Center for Disease Control. "Risk for COVID-19 Infection, Hospitalization, and Death By Race/Ethnicity." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021, www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/covid-data/investigations-discovery/hospitalization-death-by-race-ethnicity.html.
          Centers for Disease Control. "COVID Data Tracker Weekly Review." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021, www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/covid-data/covidview/index.html.
          The COVID Tracking Project. "The COVID Racial Data Tracker." The COVID Tracking Project, The COVID Tracking Project, 2020, covidtracking.com/race.