Latinos and African Americans dying at higher rates from COVID-19

In a somber turn of events, It’s been evidently clear that in some communities Latinos and African Americans are dying at a higher alarming rate of COVID-19 when compared to other groups.

As reported by Politico, Hispanic New Yorkers have been the hardest hit by coronavirus deaths in the city, dying at the highest rates of any racial group, new data from the city shows. Black New Yorkers are also dying disproportionately from the virus, which has swept across the five boroughs but has been a particular scourge in working-class black and Latino communities.

In Massachusetts, according the The Boston Globe, The state’s two largest community health centers, in East Boston and Lawrence, have encountered a disproportionately large surge of coronavirus cases among Spanish-speakers.

And as of April 9, Black people have been the only ones to die from Covid-19 in St. Louis, reports The Root.

In addition to the alarming higher death rate, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted March 19-24, Hispanics are more likely than other Americans to say they or someone in their household has experienced a pay cut or lost their job because of the coronavirus outbreak. Around half (49%) of Hispanics say they or someone in their household has taken a pay cut or lost a job – or both – because of the COVID-19 outbreak, compared with 33% of all U.S. adults.

The current COVID-19 emergency underlines the critical work LULAC and other organizations perform on behalf of the Latino and Hispanic communities in the United States. Continue visiting LULAC’s COVID-19 resource page for up-to-date information and resources.