Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Reports: People Of Color More Likely To Die From COVID
USA Today: Asian Americans In San Francisco Are Dying At Alarming Rates From COVID-19: Racism Is To Blame
Mandy Rong was terrified her 12-year-old daughter had COVID-19. It was 2 a.m. and the young girl was hours into a fierce fever and a racking cough. She was weak and didn’t want to eat. What few medications were on hand had expired. She sipped warm water instead. “Mommy, why are my eyes on fire?” asked Amy Rong. The mother and daughter, along with Rong’s parents, live in an 80-square-foot windowless single-room-occupancy Chinatown building that is a home of last resort for many impoverished Asian immigrants. Hallways are cramped, bathrooms and kitchens are communal. A ripe setting for the spread of the highly contagious novel coronavirus. (della Cava, 10/18)
The Hill: CDC: Blacks, Hispanics Dying Of COVID-19 At Disproportionately High Rates
Black and Hispanic Americans were disproportionately more likely to die of COVID-19 during the spring and summer months, a new indicator that the coronavirus’s toll is falling most heavily on underserved and minority communities. A new analysis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of more than 114,000 Americans who died of COVID-19 between May and August found that 24 percent were Hispanic or Latino, even though only about 18 percent of Americans are of Hispanic decent. (Wilson, 10/16)
Georgia Health News: Race And COVID: Stark Disparities In Rural Georgia
A USA Today analysis shows that of the 10 counties in the nation with the highest death rates from COVID-19, five are in Georgia. Hancock County is No. 1 on the list. The Middle Georgia county, with a death rate from COVID-19 of 45.7 per 10,000 residents, became a virus hot spot after outbreaks in two nursing homes, where at least 27 residents have died. (Miller, 10/16)
Also —
The New York Times: Disney Adds Warnings For Racist Stereotypes To Some Older Films
They are classic animated films like “Dumbo” (1941) and “Peter Pan” (1953), but on Disney’s streaming service they will now get a little help to stand the test of time. Before viewers watch some of these films that entertained generations of children, they will be warned about scenes that include “negative depictions” and “mistreatment of people or cultures.” The 12-second disclaimer, which cannot be skipped, tells viewers, in part: “These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now. Rather than remove this content, we want to acknowledge its harmful impact, learn from it and spark conversation to create a more inclusive future together.” (Pietsch, 10/18)
