Over 70 Percent Of City Coronavirus Deaths Are African Americans

CHICAGO — Black Chicagoans make up more than half of the new coronavirus cases and over 70 percent of the city's COVID-19 deaths, public health officials said Monday.

"This is something that is a public health red alarm that we have to make sure that we are stepping up as a community to address it — and we are going to be activating every part of the black and brown communities, from the faith community to elected officials to neighborhood organizations and, of course, the network of health providers, not just the hospitals but also the doctors, the insurance companies," Mayor Lori Lightfoot said. "This is something we have to tackle as a community."

As of Saturday, 61 of the 86 city residents confirmed to have have died from the new coronavirus were African American, public health officials said. African Americans make up fewer than 30 percent of Chicago's population. In Cook County, 107 of the 183 deaths there from COVID-19 were of blacks, according to a WBEZ report.

Lightfoot said public health officials believe that the spread of the disease and deaths among Chicago's Hispanic population have been underreported.

Lightfoot called the statistics a "public health red alarm" due to class and health care access disparities that divide the city.

"This is not just about racial and ethnic disparities and the outcomes. The distribution of this disease tells a story of resources and inequality," Lightfoot said. "A story about unequal health care access, job access and community investment."

"We know the problems of diabetes, of heart disease, of respiratory illness are really prevalent in communities of black and brown folks," she said. "We know that access to health care is a similar challenge in a lot of those communities."

The coronavirus case ratio is higher in poor, minority ZIP codes in Chicago. Four far South Side ZIP codes have a COVID-19 ratio as high as 312 cases per 100,000 people. The ratio is as high as 479 cases per 100,000 people in the 60645 ZIP code on the far North Side and the 60612 ZIP code on the near West Side, according to city public health department data.

As of Sunday, there were 1,824 African American, 847 white, 478 Hispanic and 126 Asian American residents in Chicago diagnosed with COVID-19. More than 25 percent of cases did include race and ethnicity demographic information. Public health experts said they believe the number of Hispanic residents is undercounted.

City data also shows older people with underlying medical conditions are more at risk for severe illness and death from COVID-19. People over 60 account for more than 70 percent of Chicago's COVID-19 deaths. Half of the city's coronavirus-related fatalities have been people over 70, officials said.

"Those numbers take your breath away," Lightfoot said. "This is a call-to-action moment for all of us. When we talk about equity and inclusion, they are not just nice notions. They are an imperative that we must embrace as a city . ... It's unacceptable. No one should think that this is OK. And we need to step up and step into it."

Lightfoot said the city has partnered with West Side United to create a racial equity rapid-response team to help vulnerable populations in the city's most impacted communities to build greater equity.

City health department commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady is set to issue an order requiring doctors to provide the city with complete demographic data for each confirmed COVID-19 patient, including their race and ethnicity.

"This is not negotiable," the mayor said. "We must understand the magnitude of the impact of this virus on all or our communities, and it's up to the health care providers who are on the front lines not to skip over the boxes that provide us with the demographic information that is essential to understand the impact on black and brown communities. You must do this, and we will order it to happen."

Lightfoot said the city public health department plans to make that data public.