While everyone is focusing on the 70% deaths among Black Americans, let me tell you why its equally important to pay attention to the right side of this graphic , underlying conditions. Warning there will be doctor talk on this thread

You would expect that there would be a higher prevalence of asthma, CHF and pulmonary conditions among those who died. These conditions are associated with poorer respiratory reserve and have a hard time coming off the ventilators

Instead these are lower percentage, and diabetes, high blood pressure and chronic kidney disease have the higher prevalence. This may just be a reflection of higher prevalence in the demographic , but......

Diabetes, HTN and CKD are closely tied to each other and linked to yes diet, lifestyle, genetics , but also chronic inflammatory state and stress , specifically allostatic stress load

Allostatic load (AL) refers to the "cumulative biological burden exacted by ongoing dysregulation of the stress-response due to chronic stress exposure"

Due to food injustice which affects diet and inflammation , segregation that affects lifestyle, epigenetics affected by centuries of racism and allostatic stress due to institutionalized racism, it is impossible to distinguish which contributes to African Americans health more

From a biological standpoint , Nitric oxide is now in treatment for covid-19. Nitric oxide deficiency or dysfunction , has been recited as a possible contributor to blacks having higher blood pressure , heart failure, strokes and kidney disease. Unclear if there is a link