Compiled by MCJ Editorial Staff
A new UW-Milwaukee report verifies what political leaders, community activists, and social experts have said since COVID-19 hit Milwaukee: there is a disturbing correlation between the disease and racism/segregation in the city.
The UWM report, which examines data through April 8, found African Americans account for 69% of the coronavirus-related deaths in Milwaukee County while making up 27% of the county’s population.
At the same time, nearly twice the number of African Americans in the county as Whites had tested positive for COVID-19.
In the MCJ March 25 edition, the newspaper reported that as of March 23, of the 158 total Milwaukee COVID-19 cases, the majority were on the predominately Black north side; and of that number, a large percentage were (and still are) African American men.
Milwaukee County was one of the first places in the country to release racial data for confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths. Local officials quickly noted the disparity and a similar trend was seen in other cities, including New York City, Detroit, Chicago and New Orleans.
Public health experts have said the disparity is not surprising given existing racial inequalities.
“Segregation has helped create concentrated disadvantage in certain areas of the city,” said Joel Rast, one of the report’s authors and director of UWM’s Urban Studies Programs, in an earlier news report.
Rast and the other report authors admitted though they don’t know precisely how many cases of COVID-19 there are in the Milwaukee area, they do know the data they have has revealed disturbing patterns.
The report reveals patients over 60 years of age and those with chronic medical conditions have seen higher rates of coronavirus complications — making the virus particularly dangerous for African Americans as a population, who have higher rates of chronic illness, are less likely to have health insurance and are more likely to be working lower-wage jobs, some of which are now considered essential during the pandemic.
Rast said the report notes inequalities in terms of who is being exposed to this virus on a regular basis and who is allowed to stay safe at home and still earn an income.
Those inequalities, he said, have been influenced by segregation patterns.
The urban studies director added individuals with no access to jobs and who suffer housing discrimination will not have the same access to health care and a healthy environment as people who are more advantaged.”
The UWM report also examined income levels and found race appeared to be an important factor in determining where cases are concentrated, based on the available data.
Census tracts in the county in which the median annual household income is $75,000 or higher contain 31% of the county population, but have just 8% of confirmed cases.
Census tracts in which the median annual household income is below $25,000 contain 27% of the county population, but have only 11% of confirmed cases.
The report noted while the findings may seem “counterintuitive,” it could be partly the result of high jobless rates and people staying at home in those lower-income tracts or may be reflective of existing disparities in access to treatment and testing.
Few coronavirus clusters have emerged in areas of the county that are mostly white, even those where household incomes are well below $75,000, the report found.
The report called for continued release of comprehensive demographic data related to COVID-19, widespread availability of testing, expanded access to affordable health care, safer working conditions for essential workers particularly in the retail and service industry, and messaging to vulnerable populations from trusted sources.
“Taking these steps will help to save lives and reduce disparities that we are seeing now in the spread of the coronavirus in Milwaukee County,” the report concludes.
“It will not, however, address the structural inequalities that gave rise to this crisis in the first place.
The early stages of this pandemic have laid bare these inequalities for all to see.”
–Source for article: Journal Sentinel, the March 25, 2020 edition of the Milwaukee Community Journal
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