Coronavirus Update: Push To Get More Blacks Tested As Numbers Show Group Greatly Affected
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - There is a push to get more testing in black communities. That's after national numbers show COVID-19 greatly impacting blacks.
"Weeks ago, before people started talking about this, I made the point that this could affect black people in America extraordinarily hard," Miami Gardens Mayor Oliver Gilbert III.
Gilbert is the mayor of a city with the largest black population in Florida.
"African Americans suffer from high blood pressure at a disproportionately high rate, diabetes at a disproportionately high rate," he said.
The city already has a campaign for teaching residents to live healthier lives. But with a community filled with people with possible underlying health conditions, it worries him that 113, as of Friday, have tested positive for coronavirus.
University of Miami Public Health Sciences Professor Jose Szapocznik says black communities not only experience poorer health but also a smaller income and less education.
He also says the risk is higher since some parents and grandparents can not stay home and work but must still be out of the home for work to make money for food and bills.
"All of these factors together place African Americans at much greater risk, first of getting coronavirus and if they do, then having a worst outcome," Szapocznik said.
Statewide, more than 3,000 non-Hispanic blacks have tested positive. That's 13% of cases according to FloridaDisaster.Org.
Nationally, more than 36,000 Blacks or African Americans have tested positive. That's 30% of total cases according to the CDC.
Florida House Representative Shevrin Jones said those numbers still don't paint the entire picture.
"We have to make sure we put testing sites inside locations where black people reside," he said. "What about areas like Liberty City, what about the areas like Little Haiti, and what about the center portion of Miramar?" he said.
He also said after COVID-19 is no longer a big threat, state and federal leaders need to focus on making sure minority communities get access to healthcare.
"We need to give individuals access to healthcare, so individuals can get tested, not just for COVID-19 but for other things," Jones said.
Miami Gardens mayor and the UM professor are encouraging people to stay home if they can.
The professor says if there are younger kids living with seniors, talk to the younger ones on why they must protect grandma or grandpa.
