Hispanics Among Those Most Affected By The Coronavirus In New York

2024 Author: Steven Freeman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 08:15

New York Mayor Bill De Blasio reported that African Americans and Hispanics are the most affected by the Coronavirus in New York. "We are seeing that the people who have had to battle before are being particularly hit by this," he said. According to a new report from the Department of Health, in New York 34 percent of deaths from Covid 19 have been Hispanic (although Hispanics are 29 percent of the city's population). 28 percent of deaths are black (although African Americans are 22 percent of New York's population). 27 of the deaths are white (although whites are 32 percent of the population) and 7 percent are Asian (although Asian residents in New York are 14 percent of the population).

The National Association for the Advancement of People of Color (NAACP) held a press conference to discuss the high numbers of coronavirus contagion and death among African Americans. "The disparities we are seeing in illness and death among African Americans around the country is shocking," said Derrick Johnson, the NAACP president and CEO. "Wherever we look, the coronavirus is devastating our communities. We urgently call on our elected leaders to ensure that we can be tested and can be treated and protected to prevent further spread of this horrible disease and more deaths in our communities."

The Mayor of New York added that the city will begin a new campaign to bring aid to Hispanic and African American communities in the midst of this health crisis. "It is unhealthy, it is puzzling and it is wrong," he said of the disparities in deaths from Coronavirus among minorities. "We are going to battle this with everything we have."

(Photo by John Nacion / NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Dr. Oxiris Barbot, the city's health commissioner, reported that communities that have suffered the most from the Coronavirus had more chronic illnesses than other New York residents, making them more vulnerable to the threat of the virus. De Blasio hopes a multi-million dollar public service campaign dedicated to reaching non-English speaking communities in New York will help improve current statistics. "The stark reality is that the coronavirus is causing these tragic deaths," the mayor told CNN. "We are not talking about 1 or 20 people, but about 100 or 200 people a day."