African-Americans dying of coronavirus at higher rates, preliminary data shows

Summary

  • Preliminary numbers point to disparities in health and health-care access.
  • Figures were reported by state and city leaders.
  • Data is preliminary and does not explain what is causing the disparities.

The new coronavirus is killing African-Americans at a higher rate than the U.S. population at large, according to preliminary numbers from Louisiana, Michigan and Illinois that officials say point to disparities in health and healthcare access.

The figures were reported by state and city leaders at briefings on the coronavirus, including Louisiana Governor John Edwards who said more than 70% of the 512 people killed by the coronavirus in Louisiana as of Monday were black, a much larger percentage than the state’s population that black people represent, about 33 percent.

Michigan officials also said that the coronavirus took a disproportionate toll on African-Americans with 40% of the reported deaths in the state, whose population is 14% African-American. As of Tuesday, confirmed cases in Michigan were 18,970 with 845 deaths.

The data is preliminary and not national and does not explain what is causing the disparities. However, community leaders and public health officials said it could reflect both higher levels of underlying illnesses that make African-Americans more vulnerable as well as possibly lower levels of access to healthcare.

U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams, acknowledging the early data, said on Tuesday that black Americans were more likely to have heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure.

Diabetes, heart disease and long-term lung problems are the most common underlying conditions among Americans hospitalized with COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a report published on March 31.

One in five people requiring intensive care had no such health issues, it said.