SSN Commentary

Black Americans Have a Pandemic Within a Pandemic

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Rollins College

Originally published as Black Americans Have a Pandemic Within a Pandemic," Orlando Sentinel, September 1, 2020.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, we must not to lose sight of the fact that the pandemic disproportionately affects racial and ethnic minorities. Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Pacific Islanders, and Asian populations are more likely to die from COVID-19 than white Americans.

Black Americans, specifically, represent the highest risk for COVID-19-related mortality and are 3.8 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than white Americans. Despite representing approximately 13% of the overall U.S. population, Black Americans represent more than 20% of all deaths due to COVID-19.