Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Pandemic Shines Harsh Light On Racial Disparities, As Well As Cultural And Class Divides In America
Mayors from two of the nation's biggest cities on Sunday called out racial health disparities that have been starkly highlighted by the ongoing coronavirus crisis as early data suggest the virus disproportionately affects black and brown Americans. Muriel Bowser of Washington, D.C., on Sunday said the coronavirus pandemic is casting a spotlight on health disparities among African Americans that draw their roots in slavery, racism [and] Jim Crow roles and laws. (Beavers, 4/12)
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) on Sunday called the disproportionate coronavirus deaths among African Americans in his state very disturbing. The governor told ABCs This Week that he requesteda study to track the number of cases and deaths by race because it wasnt being monitored by anyone, including the federal government.(Coleman, 4/12)
It started off as a strange-sounding disease that only other folks were getting. But then it hit black people with a sudden ferocity. Many of the victims died alone, separated from family. Hospital workers were bewildered. The virus was unstoppable. (Blake, 4/12)
Advocates and Democratic lawmakers are raising concerns over new research that suggests air pollution, water access and other environmental conditions are exacerbating the effects of the coronavirus on low-income and minority communities. A recent Harvard study found that people who live in areas with more exposure to air pollution are more likely to die from the pandemic, while other research shows that black and Latino communities people are disproportionately affected by the disease. (Frazin, 4/12)
Perhaps the last thing we needed in this hyperpartisan election year was another reminder of what divides us as a nation. Then the COVID-19 crisis arrived and gave us one. The virus is affecting everyone, in one way or another, but in terms of actual sickness and death, it is disproportionately afflicting people of color. So far, at least, it is afflicting primarily those people of color who live in the most densely populated cores of our metropolitan centers. (Elving, 4/12)
There are corners of America where social distancing is practiced with care, but the house in Robesonia, Pa., that Mark Stokes shares with 10 other people is not among them. Housemates come and go to jobs in fast food and a chocolate factory, sharing a single shower. Dirty dishes crowd the kitchen that no one cleans. Lacking a bed, Mr. Stokes, a freshman at Kutztown University, sleeps on the floor in the room of a friend who took him in when the dorms closed. (DeParle, 4/12)
As a doctor at San Franciscos safety net hospital, Katie Brooks takes pride in caring for the citys most vulnerable patients. But as the Covid-19 pandemic puts further stress on city resources already stretched to the limit, Brooks says its harder than ever to help those who are homeless. I am having a really tough time discharging people from the hospital to anywhere but to the street, said Brooks, a hospitalist at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. (Bond, 4/11)
While empty shelves are now a common sight at markets of all sizes, small store owners say they are bearing the brunt of a food supply chain strained by consumers overbuying groceries while under shelter-in-place orders. The increased demand has pushed up prices for some staples nationwide, say experts, raising costs for retailers and consumers. (Romero, 4/10)
