“What?” is almost always followed by another question: “Why?”
Once we are made aware of something — the what — we want to understand it — the why.
The more significant the what, the more urgent the need to know the why. And when that answer is slow in coming, speculation often rushes in to fill the void.
Last week, data from COVID-19 testing revealed black Mississippians are disproportionately impacted by the virus both in terms of contracting the virus and dying from it as well.
According to the Mississippi State Department of Health, there were 3,624 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 129 deaths in the state as of Wednesday. Blacks make up 38 percent of the state’s population, yet comprise 56 percent of COVID-19 cases and a whopping 66 percent of the deaths.
And Mississippi is not unique in this regard. Black populations around the country are being infected and dying in disproportionate numbers.
That’s the what.
But why? Perhaps at some point, scientists will be able to explain exactly why certain populations are hit harder by COVID-19. At this point, we do know that blacks have higher rates of chronic conditions such as asthma, diabetes and heart disease, all of which amplify the effects of the disease.
Another plausible explanation is tied to socio-economics. To some extent, in Mississippi at least, black citizens are more likely to be low wage-earners. Indeed, the poverty rate among black Mississippians is 31.2 percent, more than twice as high a rate as that of white Mississippians, according the 2017 Census data.
As it is with almost every crisis, history has shown us that the poor are almost always more vulnerable. They are more likely to suffer and more likely to have more severe consequences.
The poor often work and live in vulnerable environments and have less access to preventive health care — meaning illnesses are often detected at a more advanced stage.
One of the best measures available to reduce these health trends in the black community is expansion of Medicaid, but the Governor and key members of the Legislature remain rigidly opposed, leaving as many as 300,000 working poor — black and white alike — without access to comprehensive medical care.
The case for Medicaid expansion was strong even before COVID-19. The virus only serves to emphasize the need for expansion.
No doubt, black citizens will look at this information and recognize it as a call for extra vigilance, which is a proper response. As for other races, that information should not be taken as a reason for people to let down their guards.
What we do know is that no one is exempt from contracting the virus.
We do not know all the answers to many of the “why” questions and may not have clarity on them for some time.
But we do know the larger “what” — that COVID-19 is a threat to us all.
For now, that may be all we really need to know.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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