Though COVID-19 has killed Black Americans at nearly twice the rate as white Americans, Black people are the least likely racial group to say they're eager to get the vaccine.
(
ThyBlackMan.com) Now that COVID 19 has gotten the Nation’s attention, the questions about racial disparities have also started. The news media started highlighting the percentage of
African Americans that have caught and died from the virus and started speculating why the African American rate is higher than other racial groups. The public health community has been aware of health disparities since 1985.
The real question now is, what will we learn from the pandemic about the diagnosis, treatment, and mitigation, of the virus and other factors related to Black health. Then what will be the solution for the future? The answers should provide health care to Black Americans and that African Americans are employed in all facets of delivering that care.
Importance of COVID-19 Vaccination for Black Community Stressed by National Experts including Dr. Cato T. Laurencin
This week in The New York Times a national group of leading Black health experts including UConn Health s Dr. Cato T. Laurencin shined a light on the critical importance of the Black community receiving the COVID-19 vaccination.
Tina Encarnacion/UConn Health photo Copy Link
Leading by example Dr. Cato T. Laurencin receiving his COVID-19 vaccine at UConn Health (Image by UConn Health Video team).
This week in The New York Times a national group of leading Black health experts shined a light on the critical importance of the Black community receiving the COVID-19 vaccination. Amongst the 60 elected members of the
Katie Blackley / 90.5 WESA
A new study from Duquesne University says a county’s levels of both racial and socioeconomic segregation are predictors of its COVID-19 mortality rate.
Researchers analyzed Census tracts which are roughly the size of a neighborhood in 3,142 counties from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. They found that the greater the level of a county’s segregation of Black residents, the more likely people in that county are to die of COVID-19. Specifically, for “every 10% increase in the percentage of county population residing in … Black-concentrated [Census] tracts” there was a 11% increase in COVID deaths.
A similar pattern was observed in counties with high levels of segregation along socioeconomic status, which was determined by a variety of factors, including an area’s poverty and unemployment levels, and its percentage of adults who do not have a high school diploma. Researchers found that for every 10% increase in an area’s c
Study reveals a deep digital health divide within the older population
The COVID-19 pandemic is a great example of the importance of access to the Internet and to digital health information. Unfortunately, historical disparities in health care appear to be reflected in computer ownership, access to the Internet and use of digital health information. However, few studies have qualitatively explored reasons for digital health information disparity, especially in older adults.
A study led by Florida Atlantic University s Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing in collaboration with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the University of Massachusetts Medical School, examined the extent of computer ownership, Internet access, and digital health information use in older (ages 60 and above) African Americans, Afro-Caribbeans, Hispanic Americans and European Americans. They quantitatively identified factors related to electronic device ownership, Internet access, and digital health informatio