Article: "Why is My Community Suffering More from COVID-19?"

The author, Malika Fair, MD, MPH, (right) and her sister Denise Fair, MPH, MBA, chief public health officer at the Detroit Health Department. Photo courtesy of aamc.org and Faith Clinic C.O.G.I.C.

In a recent article from the AAMC, Senior Director of Health Equity Partnerships and Programs, Malika Fair, MD, MPH, highlights how the current pandemic has disproportionately impacted members of her home community in Detroit, MI.

"To me, family - a major life influence and source of strength - includes not only my biological relatives but also my very large church family back in Detroit, Michigan. In fact, I feel as close to many of its members as to my own relatives. Over the past two months, COVID-19 has decimated leaders of my church, the country's largest Black Pentecostal denomination. My father has lost seven of his fellow pastors, including a cousin. Watching him grieve as he receives phone call after phone call about friends who are sick or dying has been utterly heartbreaking and has shaken our sense of stability.  

Our community is not alone. Racial and ethnic minority groups across the United States have been hit exceedingly hard by this pandemic... National data reveal that the COVID-19 death rate is six times higher in areas that are predominantly non-White as compared to areas that are predominately White. In the nation's capital, where I live, Black residents represent less than half the population but nearly 80% of COVID-19 related deaths. Meanwhile, Latinx populations have the highest per capita infection rates in the city. While more data are needed, similar patterns are emerging across the United States. 

As I grapple with this reality both personally and professionally, I can't help but ponder the root causes of these inequities - and the opportunities we have to address them."

Click here to read the full article.