Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Higher Hospitalization Rates, More Deaths: Communities Of Color In Urban Hubs Are Hardest Hit
ABC News: Communities Of Color Continue To Be Hit Hardest In Most Populated Cities
In New York City, African Americans and Latinos are two times more likely to be hospitalized and to die from COVID than white Americans, according to local officials' figures. Chicago blacks are three times more likely and Latinos twice as likely to die from the virus than whites, city data shows. (Kim and Vann, 5/21)
ABC News: Black Americans And Latinos Nearly 3 Times As Likely To Know Someone Who Died Of COVID-19: POLL
The devastating toll of coronavirus is far-reaching, but the impact of the pandemic is particularly acute among black Americans and Latinos, who are nearly three times as likely to personally know someone who has died from the virus than white Americans, according to a new ABC News/Ipsos poll released Friday. Thirty percent of black adults and 26% of Latino adults in the country said they know a victim of the coronavirus, who died either from the disease or from complications related to the virus. For white adults, the corresponding figure is 10%. (Karson and Scanlan, 5/22)
ABC News: 'Heroes Or Hostages?': Communities Of Color Bear The Burden Of Essential Work In Coronavirus Crisis
Raymond Copeland took pride in his work and being called one of "New York's strongest." The New York City Department of Sanitation worker even bought a plaque to display in his car reading "strongest," a nod to the epithet for the city agency, his daughter said. When the city began to shut down and most people were told to stay at home amid the coronavirus pandemic, Copeland found himself among the grocery store clerks, bus drivers, janitors and more newly-classified "essential" workers who continued to go to work every day. Copeland died of complications from COVID-19 on April 5, approximately a week after falling ill, [his daughter, Naeemah] Seifullah said. (Thorbecke, 5/22)
GMA: Doctor Navigates Culture And Stigma To Address Black Mental Health Amid COVID-19
With mental health resources in high demand during the coronavirus pandemic, one doctor has stepped up to give tips online and through her book to help others cope. Dr. Rheeda Walker created a guide for people of color who cannot afford or do not have access to mental health help called "The Unapologetic Guide to Black Mental Health: Navigate an Unequal System, Learn Tools for Emotional Wellness, and Get the Help You Deserve." The book has seen a spike in demand due to COVID-19 and has been called a saving grace by the likes of hip-hop radio personality Charlamagne tha God, who is outspoken on mental health in the black community. (Cruz, 5/22)
ABC News: In Mississippi, Families Of COVID-19 Victims Say Poverty And Race Determine Survival
In Mississippi, the country’s poorest state, Cassandra Rollins says she has a million questions. Her daughter, Shalondra Rollins, a bright-eyed teacher and mother of two, was the first person on record to die from the coronavirus, COVID-19, in Hinds County. Home of the state’s capital, Jackson, nearly three-quarters of the county's population is estimated to be black. Rollins, who was already reeling from the death of her son last year says her grief is now so raw that it feels like an open wound. (Smith, Walker, Curry, Garcia, Park and Rivas, 5/21)
