Community Outreach Panel Explores and Addresses Higher Rates of COVID-19–Related Deaths in the African American Population

摘要

In Louisiana, African Americans are disproportionately affected by poor health outcomes compared to whites with similar health conditions. The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has proven to be no exception, with the African American population accounting for 70.5% of COVID-19–related deaths, despite only comprising 32.2% of the state's population. This disparity is thought to be multifactorial, with many of the factors that contribute to health inequity in the African American population also contributing to the morbidity and mortality rates seen in this same population with the novel coronavirus. These factors, which include higher rates of poverty and housing density; lower rates of stable, salaried jobs that permit work-from-home arrangements; and the burden of preexisting, chronic medical conditions, effectively equate to an inability for many members of this community to practice social distancing.