Covid-19 disparities in Louisiana became apparent when the virus began spreading in the early portion of 2020. By April, 70% of those who died from the virus were Black, even though Black people make up roughly 33% of the state’s population. Pre-existing conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes and coronary heart disease disproportionately impact the Black community, largely because of poverty and lack of access to health services, which are issues that stem from hundreds of years of systemic racism. Such conditions cause Black people to be more at risk of facing the harrowing effects of Covid-19. In addition, the per-capita death rate for younger Black adults during last year was roughly four times the death rate of Whites in the same age range, while death rates for Black and White seniors were roughly equal. Many researchers believe workplace infection is the biggest factor contributing to this phenomenon. Black workers are more likely to have frontline jobs that expose them to the virus. When they become infected, they are likely to bring it home to multi-generational households in predominantly Black neighborhoods, where access to emergency rooms and primary-care doctors is less prevalent. Current data shows that this trend has phased out and there is no longer such a dramatic disparity in Covid-19 deaths. However, we can still learn from what happened to assess the systemic racism built into our infrastructure and healthcare system.
The single most powerful tool against fighting this virus is the vaccine. The fourth spike we are currently witnessing due to the Delta variant that is incredibly fast-spreading is something that can catastrophically affect our communities. Please consider getting the vaccine if you have not done so already, to protect not only you but those around you. See vaccination centers here: https://www.lcmchealth.org/vaccine/
