COVID-19 is claiming the lives of Black Chicagoans at staggering and disproportionate rates.

[former9thward]

In the earliest weeks of the pandemic, Chicago’s Black residents were dying of COVID-19 at alarming rates. More recently, in the few weeks since the arrival of the Omicron variant, Black Chicagoans are again dying at much higher rates than their Asian, Latino and white counterparts, according to a WBEZ analysis of data on COVID-19 related deaths from the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Since Dec. 7, 2021, the date when the state’s first Omicron case was found in Chicago, the city’s Black residents are dying at rates four times higher than Asians, three times higher than Latinos and nearly two times higher than white residents, according to WBEZ’s analysis. A total of 97 Black Chicagoans died of COVID-19 during the seven-day period ending Jan. 9 — more than at any point since May 11, 2020.

https://chicago.suntimes.com/coronavirus/2022/1/17/22888302/dying-covid19-pandemic-black-white-cook-county-senior-deaths-wbez

[WhiskeyGrinder]

1. K&R.

[MerryBlooms]

2. A very sad and worried, r&k. n/t

Last edited Tue Jan 18, 2022, 10:52 PM - Edit history (1)

[mucifer]

3. The city and state government has done a lot of reach out and has been going to low income

housing to vaccinate.

There continues to be a lot of mistrust. There is a long history of inequity in health care.

This makes me very sad.

[madville]

4. All boils down to vaccination status, Black Chicagoans are the least vaccinated

“Among Chicago’s four largest racial and ethnic groups, Black Chicagoans remain the least vaccinated. Roughly half the city’s Black population is unvaccinated.”

From the many posts here, you’d think only anti-vax Trump supporters were out there dying and filling up hospitals…..

[littlemissmartypants]

9. Exactly. It's the vax status driving the deaths.

From the cited article...

Among Chicago’s four largest racial and ethnic groups, Black Chicagoans remain the least vaccinated. Roughly half the city’s Black population is unvaccinated.

[BlackSkimmer]

16. This.

Tragic.

[madville]

5. Another factor besides the disparity in vaccination status is

The disproportionately higher rates of COVID risk factors among the Black and Hispanic populations, such as obesity and diabetes.

[Texaswitchy]

6. Sad

[Solly Mack]

7. K&R

[wendyb-NC]

8. What a sad loss

It is heartbreaking.

[Chicago1980]

10. The vaccine is easily available.

This is on these individuals and no one else.

As a life long Chicagoan I can say there are many resources and people aren't taking advantage.

[LuvLoogie]

11. The vaccine is available. There are testing sites all over the city.

More has to be done to counter the misinformation and mistrust. I think a more comprehensive Covid response by Chicago Public Schools (CPS) and the Mayors office could have helped across the city. It just seems like there was little "half-time" adjustment before delta hit. There was a herculean effort to get the vaccines out and distributed.

I think more could have been done to encourage/enforce compliance regarding the vaccine. Current demographics have CPS students at 10.8% White, 36% African American, 46.6 % Hispanic. There is also some trumpian language coming from some Hispanic families that are pushing against the vaccine in the school community.

Combine this with many kids taking a cavalier attitude toward getting vaxxed. It doesn't take too many people to disrupt a concerted effort. That's why I think that more could have done by the city to exact some consequence for non-compliance. Or at least done more to ENCOURAGE vaccines in the schools and communities.

Part of it is self care. Maybe minority populations don't see Covid as any greater threat than what they face daily in their lives. So perhaps no urgency overall.

[flying_wahini]

12. Obama needs to go over there and tell them what for. They will listen.

I mean; he IS from Chicago.

[C Moon]

13. It was surprising me how people were saying Republicans are losing votes to COVID...

In L.A., most of the people dying are Hispanic and black. Or that's how it was in 2020, anyway. I'm pretty sure it's still the same way. The rich are vaccinating, the poor aren't.

[WarGamer]

14. NO WAY! Lots of "smert peeplz" on Twitter say it's all White Rural Trumpists dying.

[Raine]

15. but isn't it just Trumpers dying from Covid? 🙄

that's what I keep hearing even here, there's too much stereotyping going on. When that happens the problem is harder to solve.

[BlackSkimmer]

17. This.

Smh.

[Emile]

18. I can't believe there are that many blacks unvaccinated.

Why is that?

[Hortensis]

20. Sad. But they were anti-vaxxers. 0.024% is the breakthrough death rate.

That means almost all, or possibly all, would be alive today if vaccinated.

Black twists on excuses to not get vaccinated are irrelevant to SARS-Cov-2.

Black excuses to stop SPREADING the virus are no more valid than white.

Cultural, racial and political factionalism and general nutjobbery have killed 854,000 Americans now (official count).

It might help to remember about now that a good half or so of AA are CONSERVATIVE, by nature, socially, religiously, politically. Same as whites. 12% of AA voted for tRump in 2020. 37% did not vote.
That'll explain a majority of these tragically stupid and despicably irresponsible behaviors same as for everyone else. Vaccination was factionalized from the very beginning and is associated with Democrats and liberals, and for those who care about such things, whites.

RIP.