Commentary: Crisis shows need for diversity Special to CalMatters COVID-19 has revealed serious flaws in our health system, but none is more distressing than the deep racial and ethnic inequality exposed by the pandemic. With Latinx and Black people dying at higher rates than the rest of the population, communities of color are much more likely than other groups to say they’re having trouble accessing telehealth services and paying medical bills. In a January poll from the California Health Care Foundation, fully half of Californians say they believe it is harder for Black and Latinx people to get the health care they need when they are sick. And while there is only limited data on who’s getting the vaccine, the early numbers are raising concerns that Black and Latinx communities will once again fall to the back of the line.