Current Events > Black Americans are dying of Covid-19 at three times the rate of white people

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/20/black-americans-death-rate-covid-19-coronavirus?CMP=share_btn_tw

The racial wound at the center of the coronavirus pandemic in the US continues to fester, with latest data showing that African Americans have died from the disease at almost three times the rate of white people. New figures compiled by the non-partisan APM Research Lab and released on Wednesday under the title Color of Coronavirus provide further evidence of the staggering divide in the Covid-19 death rate between black Americans and the rest of the nation. Across the country, African Americans have died at a rate of 50.3 per 100,000 people, compared with 20.7 for whites, 22.9 for Latinos and 22.7 for Asian Americans. More than 20,000 African Americans about one in 2,000 of the entire black population in the US have died from the disease. At the level of individual states, the statistics are all the more shocking. Bottom of the league table in terms of racial disparities is Kansas, where black residents are dying at seven times the rate of whites. This is a call to action for our county commissioners, our state and our city officials, the Kansas state representative Gail Finney told local TV channel KWCH12 recently.

In other states, the gulf is almost as extreme. In the nations capital, Washington, the disparity in death rate between blacks and whites is six times, in Michigan and Missouri five, and in major hotspots of the disease New York, Illinois and Louisiana three. The disparities are continuing to be reflected in the data, yet we still have a complete lack of guidance from the federal government about how to mitigate these divisions. There is no real plan how to deal with it, Blackstock said. Senior Trump administration officials have blamed the disparities on the high incidence among black people of underlying health conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and obesity. On Sunday the health secretary, Alex Azar, pointed to their greater risk profiles, and was criticized for blaming the victims of the virus. While co-morbidities are a factor, there is mounting evidence that black Americans are disadvantaged in terms of access to diagnostic testing and treatment for the disease.

Yikes

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Takes more sunlight to get sufficient levels of vitamin D the darker your skin is...so this suggests to me that vitamin D plays a huge role in immunity versus this particular virus.

Why are the so called experts not saying a word about using nutrition to boost your immunity to protect yourself? Vitamin C, ample amounts of sunlight and just good nutrition in general. Oh that's right, they're too busy generating hype and fear which creates stress which cripples immune function.

I'm not saying to go out there and be wreckless with huge crowds of people, but there's a hell of a lot more you can do to protect yourself than they will ever tell you.

I remember hearing a rumor being spread early into the pandemic that black people were immune to the disease. I wonder if that played a role in this.

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Demon1050 posted...

Why are the so called experts not saying a word about using nutrition to boost your immunity to protect yourself? Vitamin C, ample amounts of sunlight and just good nutrition in general. Oh that's right, they're too busy generating hype and fear which creates stress which cripples immune function.

To what end? What's the logic here?
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I wonder if mayne it's a population density thing. Not a lot of black people live out in the country where social distancing is easier.

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Demon1050 posted...

Vitamin C

Wut? I constantly hear Vitamin C doesn't do crap for immunity. Everything has 100% + Vitamin C anyways.

FaultyGourry posted...

I remember hearing a rumor being spread early into the pandemic that black people were immune to the disease. I wonder if that played a role in this.

It probably didn't help that the racial statistics weren't being put out there. Unless you knew someone who caught it you had no idea how it was spreading. The article mentions the CDC didn't put out a death statistics by race until this week. It was outside groups trying to figure this information. Which is so crazy. They should have been providing that kind of info at least 2 months ago and updating it as this went along. There are still 10 states not providing this info.

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This virus is racist.

The healthcare disparities between caucasian and minorities, particularly those in black and non-white hispanic backgrounds, in America plays a huge factor in not only the spread of the disease but the treatments as well.

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DevsBro posted...

I wonder if mayne it's a population density thing. Not a lot of black people live out in the country where social distancing is easier.

I think this is definitely the biggest factor. Asians are also dying at a higher rate than white people because they also tend to live in more populated areas. Diet may also be a problem in poor areas. Eating poorly hurts your immune system and makes it harder to fight the virus.

I asked this once a while back, but aren't black people also more susceptible to autoimmune disorders? That could also be a factor.

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Demon1050 posted...

Takes more sunlight to get sufficient levels of vitamin D the darker your skin is...so this suggests to me that vitamin D plays a huge role in immunity versus this particular virus.

And the biggest advice during this outbreak is to stay home. So unless you taking supplements a lot of people are probably Vitamin D deficient right now.

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Didn't read the article, but are the infection rates the same but death rates higher? Or are the infection rates higher among black Americans and so consequently the death rates are as well?

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FreezerDoor posted...

And the biggest advice during this outbreak is to stay home. So unless you taking supplements a lot of people are probably Vitamin D deficient right now.

But the advice from the start also said to get outside. I think people took the stay at home message too literal, most experts have been saying to get outside and get some sun. Go for a hike, take a bike ride, do yard work. That may not be possible in cities though, which may play a part here.

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ButteryMales posted...

Wut? I constantly hear Vitamin C doesn't do crap for immunity. Everything has 100% + Vitamin C anyways.

There's no proof and I know many pharmacists that actively discourage people from using those Vitamin C products because of it.

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FaultyGourry posted...

I remember hearing a rumor being spread early into the pandemic that black people were immune to the disease. I wonder if that played a role in this.

Wasn't that a joke based on how Africa was one of the last places to get hit by Covid? I don't think anyone actually believed that. >_>

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The American healthcare system statistically treats black Americans like shit and kills them all the time. This leads to distrust of the system, which leads to people being hesitant to get help and higher mortality rates for pretty much every type of disease and condition. Black people are also more likely to live in urban environments with higher population density so higher transmission rates of communicable pathogens.

This would be a big problem if American healthcare was actually about healthcare, but like everything else in this garbage country healthcare is about sucking money out of everybody to give to the already rich as much as possible.

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Ivynn posted...

Wasn't that a joke based on how Africa was one of the last places to get hit by Covid? I don't think anyone actually believed that. >_>

You'd be surprised what people would believe. I mean, flat earthers are not only still around but growing.

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Demon1050 posted...

Takes more sunlight to get sufficient levels of vitamin D the darker your skin is...so this suggests to me that vitamin D plays a huge role in immunity versus this particular virus.

Why are the so called experts not saying a word about using nutrition to boost your immunity to protect yourself? Vitamin C, ample amounts of sunlight and just good nutrition in general. Oh that's right, they're too busy generating hype and fear which creates stress which cripples immune function.

I'm not saying to go out there and be wreckless with huge crowds of people, but there's a hell of a lot more you can do to protect yourself than they will ever tell you.

Probabaly becuase this would be offensive to anyone obese......as it's pretty much telling them that they arent eating well, going out much, or staying physically active. Which makes sense pre pandemic but Covid-19 doeasnt give a fuck.

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Its's probably because the low income areas arent following the cdc guidelines. Whenever I'm in low income areas taking pt's, everyone is just chilling next to each other on a deck or walking in large groups and such with no masks or theyre just dangling on their chin >_> No one in those areas are doing anything to prevent the spread.

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NeonOctopus posted...

Its's probably because the low income areas arent following the cdc guidelines. Whenever I'm in low income areas taking pt's, everyone is just chilling next to each other on a deck or walking in large groups and such with no masks or theyre just dangling on their chin >_> No one in those areas are doing anything to prevent the spread.

Truth-- as someone who lives in a poor neighborhood, I can attest to the fact that a lot of poor people never followed the social distancing thing at all.

Theres a reason why there are more liquor stores in black neighborhoods than white neighborhoods.

I hope stories like this don't make people think it's something inherent to black people that are making them die from it more...
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