COVID-19 Disproportionally Affects Black Residents in Montgomery County

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Due to several factors including lower levels of access to health care, COVID-19 disproportionally affects African Americans in Montgomery County and the entire Philadelphia area. Image via the Philadelphia Inquirer.

African Americans in Montgomery County and the entire Philadelphia area do not have same levels of access to health care and related services as white residents and the consequences are clearly visible in the coronavirus infection rates, writes Kasra Zarei for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

In Montgomery County, the number of cases per 10,000 residents for African Americans is 61, while for white residents that number is just 16. This shows that African Americans have a significantly higher rate of cases than their white counterparts.

This situation has been facilitated due to a number of reasons that are best described as systemic racism – including unequal access to opportunities for even some essential needs, such as quality education, affordable and healthy foods, and a living wage.

Now, the COVID-19 pandemic is revealing this public health crisis clearly and starkly nationwide.

“In the broadest sense, no matter what the disease – coronavirus, hunger, or chronic diseases – the same people are always at risk: people who have been systematically oppressed because of their race or other aspects of their identity,” said Shreya Kangovi, founding executive director of the Penn Center for Community Health Workers.

Read more about the differing infection rates at The Philadelphia Inquirer by clicking here.

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