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Los Angeles County is seeing “horrific” new levels of COVID-19 deaths among its Latin American population, prompting new calls for increased government assistance for essential workers and those living in poor conditions. overcrowded housing, according to the Los Angeles Times
The viral death rate of Latinos in LA County is almost triple that of white residents of all groups, the newspaper reported.
The most recent outbreak has caused deaths among Latin American residents by more than 1,000% since the fall.
Over a two-week period in November, the number of Latin American residents of LA County who die each day from the virus was 3.5 per 100,000, on average, according to the outlet. That number has now risen to 40 deaths per 100,000 Latino residents.
“Our Latinx community is, in fact, facing the worst of this pandemic,” LA County Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer told The Times.
Latinos and other people of color have been disproportionately affected by the virus from the start. A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this summer found that Hispanic and black patients accounted for nearly two-thirds of COVID-19 deaths among people under 65.
Former surgeon general Jerome Adams told Insider in July that some of the virus’s disproportionate effects on people of color can be attributed to “social determinants of health.”
LA County is the most populous county in the country and also has the highest proportion of overcrowded homes in any major metropolitan area in the United States. Some Latino neighborhoods are overcrowded and are home to a high proportion of essential workers, the Times reported.
Latino workers also have the highest employment rate in frontline jobs that pose a high risk of exposure to COVID-19, according to the UC Berkeley Labor Center.
According to the LA Times, 55% of Latinos have such jobs and 48% of black residents do. Meanwhile, 35% of white residents work on the front lines.
Officials believe these essential workers are exposed to the virus at work only to bring it home and spread it among family members and roommates.
“While every race and ethnic group in LA County has seen a horrific increase in death rates, the gap between the experiences of those in our Latinx community and everyone else is downright horrific,” Ferrer said.
Despite being a current epicenter of the virus, restaurants in Los Angeles reopened for outdoor dining on Friday, even though restaurant workers under the age of 65 are still not eligible for the vaccine.
Other county residents have also seen an increase in the death rate from COVID-19 since November. Black residents now have, on average, 20 deaths per day per 100,000 population, up from one death per day in the fall, according to the LA Times. The rate of Asian residents fell from one daily death per 100,000 inhabitants in November to 17 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants.
At a press conference earlier this month, Los Angeles City Council Chairman Nury Martinez said the inequity could not be ignored. She said the government should provide assistance to the worst affected communities in Los Angeles and that immunization of essential workers is crucial.
“If we don’t focus on equity now, I will tell you who is going to get the vaccine: it will be the people who will have the luxury of staying at home and sending their children to open private schools and modules. neighborhood learning. Said Martinez. “And the people who don’t get the vaccine will be the nannies, the maids, the housekeepers and the gardeners, the people who take our groceries, who prepare our food every day, who deliver our mail and clean our streets.”
Los Angeles County officials are expressing growing concern over insufficient access to vaccines for those who need them most, the Times reported. There are indications that there are concerns about the rate of vaccines available to healthcare workers living in southern Los Angeles, an area with large populations of Latino and black residents.
Officials said they were hopeful that more predictable shipments and the possibility of an approved vaccine made by Johnson & Johnson could help.
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