Dear friends and colleagues,
It is impossible to ignore the disparate racial impact of COVID-19, especially as national protests have brought new energy to conversations about equity and civil rights. All told, black people aged 60 years and older account for the vast majority of deaths among the general population in New Orleans. Remembering that black New Orleanians in this age group were born into an era of legal discrimination in education, housing, criminal justice, health care, and economic opportunities of all kinds, makes the tragedy of these elders, and in some cases civil rights veterans, succumbing to the deadly coronavirus a poignant reminder of the dire effects of inequality.
Today, we take an unprecedented look at COVID in our community by combining several data sources. Initial findings include:
- Nursing homes and other long-term care (LTC) facilities are major hot spots for COVID-19 outbreaks, but when they are removed from the calculation, we find that African Americans in New Orleans are experiencing even larger disparities in COVID-19 deaths than initially thought.
- Black New Orleanians not living in LTC facilities who are 60-69 years of age are dying at over twelve times the rate of white New Orleanians of the same age.
- States across the country with higher than average black death rates have higher than average white death rates as well.
These tragedies are playing out at the same time many black New Orleanians have lost their jobs due to necessary COVID shutdowns, as revealed by earlier Data Center analyses. In addition, among those workers who have retained their jobs, people of color are more likely to be among those in low-wage, frontline positions. These risks intersect the reality that black people are seven times more likely than white to be living in multi-generational households. As a result, many younger, working age people may be living with someone in an older, at-risk age group.
To avoid infecting vulnerable individuals, the CDC recommends you stay at home as much as possible if anyone in your household is in a risk-group, but such precautions are not always practical for low-wage frontline workers. In New Orleans, 71 percent of black households live in liquid asset poverty and 33 percent of black households have zero net worth, each is more than double the rate of white households. For these groups, even if your job increases your risk of exposure and you have someone at home who is more vulnerable, your financial situation may not afford you the option of not working.
Our analysis reveals that the fates of black and white New Orleanians are intertwined. National research suggests that when black death rates are high, white death rates are higher as well. As detailed data shines new light on the racial disparities in COVID-19 deaths, it further raises the alarm about risks that affect us all.
See our new analysis of COVID death rates by race:
Bringing you the data you need to make informed decisions,
The Data Center Team
Arthur Rymer, Katrina Andry, Erica Amrine, Allison Plyer, Dabne Whitemore, Jenna Losh, Don Asay, Robby Habans, Lamar Gardere, Cody Brumfield, Amy Teller, and Rachel Weinstein
