NEW: @JECDems are releasing a report today that explains why Black, Latino and low-income Americans are more likely to bear the health and/or financial burdens of #COVID19.

Read the report here: https://bit.ly/CoronavirusRaceandClass

Early data suggest that Black Americans are more likely to contract #COVID19, more likely to be hospitalized and more likely to die from the virus.

In Louisiana and Chicago, 70% of people who have died from #COVID19 have been Black, despite them making up just 1/3 of the population in both places.

In D.C., 81% of the people who have died from the coronavirus have been Black, despite them making up 46% of the population.

One of the reasons Black Americans are at higher risk of contracting #COVID19 is because they are overrepresented in parts of the service industry where person-to-person work is more prevalent.

In addition to being overrepresented in the service industry, Black Americans are more likely to be low-income, which also puts them at higher risk for contracting #COVID19. Blacks are more than twice as likely as Whites to live in poverty.

Low-income Americans are less likely to have paid sick leave and other benefits that will help them stay healthy and financially secure during the pandemic.

Virtually none of the lowest-income Americans have the option to telework.

Other reasons Black Americans are at higher risk of contracting #COVID19 include being more likely to:

Have a pre-existing condition, like asthma and hypertension
Live in poor housing conditions

In addition to being more likely to bear the health burdens of #COVID19, Black Americans are also more likely to be severely impacted economically.

Black workers are at the highest risk of job loss and long-term unemployment because they’re typically the first to be fired during an economic downturn. The unemployment rate for Black Americans historically has been roughly DOUBLE what it is for Whites.

Black households also have much less wealth – only 1/10 that of Whites. This makes it much harder for them to survive a recession like the one caused by #COVID19.

Latino Americans are also more likely to bear the financial burdens of #COVID19.

A recent survey found that nearly half of Latinos reported that someone in their household had taken a pay cut or lost their job as a result of the pandemic. https://www.newsweek.com/nearly-two-thirds-latinos-have-lost-jobs-face-economic-hardship-due-coronavirus-outbreak-poll-1498417

#COVID19 has helped expose the effects of systemic inequality in the United States. When the pandemic is over it will likely leave in its wake even greater systemic inequality.

Full report: https://bit.ly/CoronavirusRaceandClass