COVID-19 is Third Leading Cause of Death in Black Americans
COVID-19 is the third leading cause of death in African-Americans in the United States, according to a new study.
Let that sink in. A virus that has been in this country for less than a year is the third leading cause of death for Black folks. The report from Brookings Institution states that only heart disease and cancer are killing more African-Americans in the U.S. than COVID-19.
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"If I told you on Jan. 1 that a new virus that we did not even know about would, in August, be the third leading cause of death for Black Americans, our hair should have been set on fire and we would have an extensive public policy response to this unprecedented pandemic." ~ Trevon Logan, professor of economics at the Ohio State University and co-author of the report, via CBS News
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The authors of the study point out the health and economic disparities that many Blacks face in this country, according to CBS News. Black people are less likely to have an economic "cushion," which means that even in a "lock down" they are going to work.
"There's not just well-documented income gaps, but there's also really yawning wealth gaps. [Black] households don't necessarily have that resource or that cushion to lean on." ~ Bradley Hardy, another author of the study, via CBS News
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