COVID-19 and African Americans: Dispelling the Myth with Facts

COVID-19 and African Americans: Dispelling the Myth with Facts In cities like Chicago and New York, coronavirus deaths in African Americans rank at 28% and 70% respectively; in Louisiana and Michigan the death toll among blacks stands at 70.5% and 40% respectively.1 The data alone show us that blacks are in no way immune to this virus, and that in fact, much of these findings support the notion that there are major disparities in outcomes. Before the coronavirus became a pandemic and overshadowed the year 2020, blacks experienced disheartening health inequities and reprehensible disparities. African American women experience the highest death rates from heart disease, breast and lung cancer, stroke, and pregnancy among women of all racial and ethnic backgrounds.2 Hundreds of black men were victims of a syphilis observational study and were left untreated without consent, and of course, during the dreadful period of slavery in the United States, blacks were not afforded equitable health care. When they were finally freed, the Freedmen’s Bureau established a health arm, and due to racial politics and mismanagement, the Bureau, and subsequently the health component permanently shut down.2 Therefore, it comes as no surprise to learn that this viral pandemic is showing the world that racial and ethnic disparities in health care are real and need to be addressed. Patients with sickle cell disease are presumed to be at a higher risk of infection with the coronavirus due to preexisting immunocompromisation. Respiratory issues such as acute chest syndrome are already a threat to patients with sickle cell disease and this virus could prove fatal in someone who has had acute chest syndrome in the past. I believe it is wise for all patients with sickle cell disease to be vigilant in this season and make sure that they are making the best choices possible to protect their health and safety. We understand that conspiracy theories will crop up any time but especially during a global crisis such as this. It is incumbent upon every black person to make sure that they vet all the information that they are inundated with on a regular basis. With the advent of social media, untrustworthy sources and erroneous information can spread just as fast as this virus has. I tell everyone that if it does not pass what I call the “smell test” then you should be skeptical and seek out more information. Most things that sound too good to be true, are normally too good to be true. The internet can be a double-edged sword; however, it can be and has been used for good. Whenever there is information spreading in your family or community, take to a search engine and find out the answers for yourself. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other governmental healthcare organizations have published information about the coronavirus pandemic on their websites for you to read, digest, understand and then disseminate to your own community. I believe that it is the individual’s responsibility to debunk myths and fallacies once they have heard them and found them to be untrue—this is one of the reasons that I wrote this blog piece. I wanted to personally have a voice in addressing the unfounded claim that black people cannot be infected with this virus. The data suggest that black communities are in fact contracting and dying from the virus more frequently and disproportionately.1 Unfortunately, at this point, the only tool that we have against the coronavirus is social distancing. It reminds me of the abstinence campaigns back in middle school and high school where they would tell us the only 99.9% way to protect against pregnancy was not a condom, it was abstinence. That point being made, the only sure-fire way you can be sure that you will not be infected by this virus is to follow social distancing and public health guidelines and mandates. What adds insult to injury is that possessing the ability to participate in true social distancing is in itself a privilege.1 The communities in which black people live tend to be poor, where there’s high housing density and more instances of food insecurity.1 This virus continues to expose the deep-seated impact that a legacy of racial divide, and inequality have in our healthcare system. This legacy of racial injustice has played a role in the disparities that black Americans and people of color in America face today. It was hypothesized that black people could not be infected with the virus because we “already had to deal with too much as a community of black people” from slavery, to segregation and Jim Crow laws, and we would get some divine “pass.” Unfortunately, these same horrific events that we as a people went through ended up being major historical determinants of our health. These determinants have inevitably influenced the impact of the coronavirus in black communities. It is crucial during this pandemic that we are good stewards of our own education and that we are responsible for feeding and informing ourselves with the most up-to-date and accurate information as possible. When you hear erroneous messages being passed around, do not let it go further than yourself. Take the time to gracefully educate, after you have searched out the answers from trustworthy and credible sources—besides your family members who “heard” something from their friends. 1. Yancy CW. COVID-19 and African Americans. JAMA. Published online April 15, 2020. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.6548 2. Dawes DE. The Political Determinants of Health. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press; 2020.   André Marcel Harris Community Manager, oneSCDvoice