Don’t Sleep on Covid-19…It’s Still a Threat
By: Roger Glass
In recent weeks, the focus of America, especially Black America, has been on the murder of George Floyd, and the protests and calls for police reform that have erupted across the nation.
The now infamous 8 minute and 46 second videotape has given rise to a multiracial, multigenerational group of Americans who are adding their voices—and their bodies—to the fight for social justice and an end to systemic racism.
As important as these issues are though, we mustn’t lose sight of another very real and ongoing problem—the Coronavirus and the devastation it’s wreaking on the African-American community.
Early on, there were suggestions that Black folks were immune to the Covid-19. Some people claimed that the melanin in our skin protected us from it. Well, we now know that that was a foolish and dangerous myth.
Sadly, it’s been Black people, along with our brown brothers and sisters, who have borne the brunt of the virus’s wickedness. Why? Because we’re often the ones on the frontlines, working as nurses, bus drivers, postal workers, first responders, grocery store clerks, etc. In other words, people who don’t have the luxury of “working from home.”
The problem is, of course, compounded by the historic inequities in our nation’s healthcare system. Black, brown and low-income Americans have never had the same access to quality healthcare that’s afforded to most white Americans. The pandemic has only further exposed this sad reality.
And then there’s the fact that minorities are more likely to have the underlying symptoms—like diabetes, high blood pressure and asthma—that makes Covid-19 particularly dangerous and life-threatening.
So it’s not surprising that people of color have been disproportionately impacted by the virus.
What should we do? Well, there are a number of fronts on which we must do battle in order to overcome the discriminatory impact of Covid-19. Here are three of them.
Access to healthcare. The pandemic has increased calls for Medicare for All or some sort of single-payer healthcare plan that covers everyone. Let’s do it! No one should have to worry about going to see a doctor or to the hospital when they—or a loved one—are sick or injured.
Solidarity Forever. Many of the jobs most impacted by the pandemic are heavily unionized. Ensuring workplace safety and adequate equipment, negotiating pay, benefits, hours and personal leave, and, maybe most importantly, giving workers a voice in the workplace are among the critical roles that unions play. Black workers can make sure they have a voice in these and other issues by being active and involved with their unions.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T! We need to show some love to our frontline workers and treat them like the heroes they are. We can start by insisting that they have the protective equipment and supplies they need to protect themselves and their families from the virus. And we can do our part as individuals by following the protocols that have proven successful in reducing the spread of the virus, such as social distancing and washing our hands…and wearing our damn masks.
Covid-19 may very well be with us through the fall and into the winter. And the same men and women who have been on the frontlines as essential workers over the last 4 months will be on the frontlines once again. Let’s do all we can to ensure that people of color are not further victimized by the pandemic.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has data on the impact of COVID-19 among racial minorities as well as resources for reducing the impact.