Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

Skidmore

(37,364 posts)
Tue Apr 7, 2020, 04:19 AM Apr 2020

Chicago's coronavirus disparity: Black Chicagoans are dying at nearly six times the rate of white re




https://www.chicagotribune.com/coronavirus/ct-coronavirus-chicago-coronavirus-deaths-demographics-lightfoot-20200406-77nlylhiavgjzb2wa4ckivh7mu-story.html?utm_medium=notification&utm_source=onesignal

Black Chicagoans are dying from the coronavirus at a rate higher than any other racial demographic, public records show, a reflection of the deadly consequences that economically disadvantaged communities have faced for generations.

About 68% of the city’s deaths have involved African Americans, who make up only about 30% of Chicago’s total population, according to an examination of data from the Cook County medical examiner’s office and the Chicago Department of Public Health. The sobering statistics suggest black Chicagoans are dying at a rate nearly six times greater than white residents.

“Those numbers take your breath away,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Monday. “This is a call to action for all of us.”

The Rev. Marshall Hatch, pastor of New Mount Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church in West Garfield Park, has borne witness to the coronavirus’s deadly grasp on his community in recent days. His best friend, Larry Harris, died last week from COVID-19. A congregation member, a man who often did handiwork around the church without seeking payment, died over the weekend from what Hatch said were related symptoms.
13 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
 

cwydro

(51,308 posts)
12. I dont think the asshole in chief can influence how a virus acts.
Tue Apr 7, 2020, 09:00 AM
Apr 2020

Or who is practicing social distancing.

uponit7771

(90,348 posts)
13. He can influence how much help the people infected gets including tests to keep it from
Tue Apr 7, 2020, 10:00 AM
Apr 2020

... spreading even further.

mnhtnbb

(31,399 posts)
3. Blacks in NC are getting the virus at a higher rate than whites
Tue Apr 7, 2020, 05:35 AM
Apr 2020

according to data being kept by the State of NC. I'd have to go look up the most recent data to see by what difference, but it is being tracked by race and the difference has been noted here already.

Here is the data https://www.ncdhhs.gov/divisions/public-health/covid19/covid-19-nc-case-count#by-race/ethnicity

Unfortunately, the breakdown by race is missing for 35%
of the reported cases. The black population in NC according to 2015 data is 22.1% of the population. So the number of cases is higher here, but the death rate is proportional according to the most recent, but incomplete, numbers by race.

So, according to the data we have in NC, blacks represent a higher percentage of cases, but deaths are in line with their overall percentage in the population at this point. NC, so far, has a low death rate of 1.1%.

 

cwydro

(51,308 posts)
9. Mecklenburg County is reporting blacks are disproportionately affected.
Tue Apr 7, 2020, 08:13 AM
Apr 2020

On Sunday, the white churches near me were not holding services, but the black church nearby was open and crowded.

GitRDun

(1,846 posts)
4. I grew up in Chicago
Tue Apr 7, 2020, 06:15 AM
Apr 2020

My father was a racist.

His friends the people he worked with were as well.

We have got to stop pretending the problem isn’t us.

What the ever living F

mucifer

(23,558 posts)
5. Chicago Trib article does NOT mention the fact that Chicago has a new and complex plan to fight
Tue Apr 7, 2020, 06:51 AM
Apr 2020

all of this. Mayor Lightfoot addressed it in her press conference yesterday. The article quotes her and yet doesn't give ANY info she gave on the plan the city health department has to fight the virus in the black community.

I posted about her plan:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100213246016

It's a damn impressive plan IMO

Response to Skidmore (Original post)

MichMan

(11,958 posts)
8. SE Michigan has similar statistics
Tue Apr 7, 2020, 08:09 AM
Apr 2020

AA population in Michigan is 14 % and AA are approx. 40 % of deaths from the virus. That being said, with over 80% of the cases in the entire state concentrated in the three counties surrounding metro Detroit, the overall state demographics aren't very applicable.

Is it generally poorer health to begin with, genetic predispositions, not following social distancing behaviors, or proximity of living close to others in urban areas ? Is the AA community less likely to believe anything that the government tells them?

There were reports in the media that when the disease first hit that people in the AA community were spreading rumors that black people couldn't catch it.

[link:https://www.freep.com/story/news/health/2020/03/07/social-media-petri-dish-false-and-dangerous-coronavirus-info/4977065002/|

jmg257

(11,996 posts)
10. Suffering more cases too...ugh - Hows the social distancing?
Tue Apr 7, 2020, 08:34 AM
Apr 2020
Black Chicagoans also could be contracting the disease at higher rates, experts said, for socioeconomic reasons such as being unable to work from home, a reliance on public transportation or living in dwellings with multiple people.
...
The city also will start using bigger buses to promote social distancing and send inspectors into grocery stores and corner shops to ensure that they’re enforcing social distancing.

“If you do not, we will shut you down,” Lightfoot said at a news conference.


fleur-de-lisa

(14,628 posts)
11. Happening in Louisiana too:
Tue Apr 7, 2020, 08:55 AM
Apr 2020
https://www.wdsu.com/article/covid-19-impacts-in-louisiana-high-death-rate-among-african-americans/32058042

‘Big disparity’: 70% of Louisiana’s coronavirus deaths are African Americans, governor says

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said Monday more than 70% of those who have died of the coronavirus in Louisiana are African American.

“Obviously this is a big disparity,” Edwards said at Monday’s press briefing, about the data.

Louisiana’s population is 33% African American, according to 2019 U.S. Census data. Orleans Parish, which accounted for a third, or 171, of the state’s 512 COVID-19 deaths as of Monday, is 60% African American. Jefferson Parish, which has seen 121 deaths, is 28% African American. Fifty-seven percent of the state’s deaths occurred in one of the two metro New Orleans parishes.

Data on race, underlying conditions and on dates of deaths became publicly available on the state’s coronavirus data dashboard Monday evening. It shows 70.5% of those who died were African American, 28.6% were white, and just under 1% were Asian.
Latest Discussions»General Discussion»Chicago's coronavirus dis...