The COVID-19 pandemic and the major social movement ignited by the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor have dominated our media for the past few months. Butting heads for the top headline of our morning papers, news broadcasts, and online media, the two topics are so powerful that one can’t help but notice that one of the topics might accidentally take away importance from the other. However, one issue that streamlines between both of these topics is one that has persisted throughout the history of our country, but continues to stay muted in the mainstream: health disparities.
What has exacerbated this issue specifically is the disparity between different groups when it comes to COVID-19 cases. Cleveland is one of the most segregated cities in the country, meaning these disparities are very much prevalent in our own communities.
Now, what exactly are our health disparities? In general, disparities are a deficit from one group compared to another in regards to any topic. Health disparities can represent both the deficit between one group's general presence in a population to their presence in a certain health issue or outcome, or the difference between two different populations’ presence in terms of a health issue or outcome.
According to Kaiser Family Foundation, from data retrieved on August 31st 2020, Black people make up 23% of COVID-19 cases in Ohio, Hispanic people make up 6% of COVID-19 cases in Ohio, and Asian people make up 3% of the COVID-19 cases in Ohio.
However, all three of these populations are over-represented in these populations, as the KFF also listed that as a whole, Black, Hispanic, and Asian populations make up 12%, 4%, and 2% of Ohio’s population, respectively. White populations are underrepresented in the number of COVID-19 cases statewide. 53% of COVID-19 cases come from white populations, whereas white people make up 83% of Ohio’s population.1
In 2019, the US Census Bureau estimated 48 million African Americans in the United States, making up 13.4% of the total American population. This includes those who identify as “Black or African American alone.” The US Census Bureau also estimated that 18.5% of the United States population is Hispanic or Latino, while Asians made up 5.9% of the United States population in 2018.2
However, as of October 8, 2020, 17.8% of COVID-19 cases are made-up of Black people nationally, and 20.7% of COVID-19 related deaths are made up of Black population, as stated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.3
What this all means is that more people of color and more people in low-income communities statewide and nationally are contracting COVID-19, and it’s not just a coincidence. These disparities are mirrored in a number of other health issues, such as hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, and infant mortality. To examine the distribution of COVID-19 among these communities, we must look into the causes of these disparities in health outcomes, and that is where health inequity enters the equation. Health inequity comes from unfairness and unjust access to the social determinants of health.
Through this project, we want to explore and share a number of topics that contribute to health inequity, and, throughout the year, we will continue these topics in depth.
For more statistical information on COVID-19, visit: https://covid19.emory.edu/
Click on the map of Ohio to view state and county specific data.
Thank you to Dr. Shivani Patel of Emory University for sharing this resource with us.
References
(2020). COVID-19 Cases by Race/Ethnicity. Kaiser Family Foundation.
(2020). U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: United States. United States Census Bureau.
(2020). CDC COVID Data Tracker. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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