Health Hotline Magazine | July 2020

Coronavirus has impacted families across America, but minorities are among those that have been hardest hit. In New York City, COVID-19 has been twice as deadly for African Americans and Latinos compared to white people. i Native Americans have also been disproportionately impacted: In New Mexico, Native Americans account for more than 41 percent of COVID infections but make up less than 11 percent of the state’s population, and infection rates among Native Americans on the Navajo reservation are among the highest in the world. ii iii The reasons for these racial disparities are varied and deeply complex. Structural racism, unequal access to a ordable healthy foods, targeted junk food marketing, unequal access to quality healthcare, more workers in essential jobs who cannot stay home, and living in areas with more pollution are just some of them. Here, we will examine some of the key health-related factors that make minorities more vulnerable to COVID-19. DISPROPORTIONATELY HIGH RATES OF CHRONIC HEALTH CONDITIONS It became clear early on that you were more likely to be hospitalized from COVID-19 if you had an underlying health condition, or “comorbidity.” In a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention investigating the characteristics of COVID patients who had been hospitalized in the month of March, nearly 90 percent (89.3%) of 1,482 patients had one or more underlying conditions. Hypertension, obesity, chronic lung disease, type-2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease were the most common. iv Minorities are at a higher risk for all of these health conditions, making them more vulnerable to severe illness and death from COVID-19. v vi vii viii ix x Minorities also consistently report higher levels of stress, which can lead to or worsen chronic conditions like hypertension and cardiovascular disease, and also suppress immune system function. xi The question remains… why? WITH COVID-19, RACE MATTERS MINORITIES ARE BEING HARDEST HIT BY CORONAVIRUS. WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF. BY LINDSAY WILSON

CORONAVIRUS HAS IMPACTED FAMILIES ACROSS AMERICA,BUT MINORITIES ARE AMONG THOSE THAT HAVE BEEN HARDEST HIT.

Natural Grocers | 35