Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Racial Disparities: a Perspective Analysis
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PERSPECTIVE ARTICLE
Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Racial Disparities: a Perspective Analysis James Louis-Jean 1
&
Kenney Cenat 2 & Chidinma V. Njoku 3 & James Angelo 4 & Debbie Sanon 5
Received: 30 April 2020 / Revised: 15 September 2020 / Accepted: 21 September 2020 # W. Montague Cobb-NMA Health Institute 2020
Abstract Health disparity refers to systematic differences in health outcomes between groups and communities based on socioeconomic isolation. In the USA, health disparities among minority groups, especially African Americans, limit their access to quality medical care and other beneficial resources and services. Presently, the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) highlights the extreme healthcare challenges that exist in the African American and other minority communities in the USA. African Americans are dying at a rate nearly four times higher than the national average. With inadequate access to quality healthcare, viable resources, and information, COVID-19 will continue to have a disastrous effect on African American communities. This communication provides a brief overview of the health inequalities resulting in African Americans dying disproportionately during the COVID19 pandemic. Keywords African American . Coronavirus . Health disparity . Socioeconomic
Introduction The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) emerged from Wuhan, China, in late 2019 and quickly became a global pandemic that has already affected more than 115 countries and territories [1]. In symptomatic patients, this highly transmissible disease causes severe acute respiratory syndrome, which infects lower respiratory airways and results in fatal pneumonia. The effect of this pandemic is widely visible, resulting in about a 5.6% mortality rate and causing major economic and social devastations [2]. Studies have shown that COVID-19 is transmitted via human interactions when uninfected individuals come in contact with mucus and respiratory droplets or surfaces that contain the virus. On surfaces where it is present, the virus can remain infectious from 2 hours and up to 9 days depending on the surface materials. Also, it can remain * James Louis-Jean [email protected] 1
University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV, USA
2
Homestead Middle School, Homestead, FL, USA
3
Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health, Carson City, NV, USA
4
Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA
5
Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
airborne for up to 3 hours post aerosolization [3]. Furthermore, a small majority of carriers develop mild to no symptoms. As a result, transmission occurs rapidly and inconspicuously with both symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals unknowingly transmitting the virus, resulting in more people being infected. Research data continues to show that COVID-19 affects all age groups. Older individuals and those with underlying health conditions are more prone to experiencing severe illnesses and death. Data analysis of COVID-19 from the USA highlights pre-existing health disparities among African Americans as
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