As more cities and states compile data on how COVID-19 is affecting racial groups, St. Louis officials released a shocking report.
Health officials in St. Louis revealed that all people who have died from COVID-19 are Black, according to the St. Louis American.
At press time, there have been 480 overall cases and 12 people in St. Louis have died from the pandemic. Blacks make up 45 percent of the population, according to the Census.
Although Missouri has yet to release overall data as a state, St. Louis Department of Health director Dr. Frederick Echols, shared the data as it relates to the city of St. Louis in a piece published by St. Louis American.
“We are learning more about the coronavirus every day, but let me tell you this in no uncertain terms: It doesn’t care if you are black, brown, white, red, yellow or some other shade,” Elchols wrote. “The idea that African Americans are somehow resistant to it is both untrue and dangerous to the health of our community. Many of the pre-existing conditions that make the coronavirus more dangerous for some people — like heart conditions and diabetes — disproportionately affect the Black community. This is why everyone in the City of St. Louis — especially African Americans — must take precautions against spreading this disease.”
The CDC has yet to release national data as it relates to COVID-19 and the racial disparities in America. Currently, only four states, Michigan, Illinois, North Carolina, and Wisconsin, are the only states that have compiled the data.
