Money Doesn't Protect Black Americans From COVID-19
COVID-19 is ravaging the whole world; the virus does not discriminate in who it infects. But the patterns of who gets sick and who dies in the United States are undeniably influenced by race, as infections have soared among Black Americans and within communities of color. There’s no single reason why that’s the case—for non-whites, structural racism has eroded so many elements of life related to health, including healthcare, insurance coverage and access to fresh food. And there is no single fix, either.
It turns out that even having a high income can’t protect Black Americans from suffering more from the virus, according to a new research letter published yesterday in JAMA Network Open. The researchers found that people in non-white communities are more likely to get the coronavirus and die from it than people in white communities, regardless of whether the community is affluent or not.
“Oftentimes, income is given as the explanation for racial health disparities,” says TIME health reporter Jamie Ducharme, who wrote about the new research. “People of color disproportionately live in poorer communities, which means many families struggle to afford medical care and other resources that can keep them well.” However, when researchers looked at race and income data from communities around urban centers in the U.S., “income couldn’t fully explain why people of color have been so severely affected by the virus,” Ducharme says.
The researchers did find that the situation is worse for people in poorer communities. But the fact that racial disparities persisted even in richer areas illustrates the insidious reach of structural racism. The new research didn't spell out the factors driving the gaps between white and non-white Americans, but other research has hinted at some possibilities, including the types of jobs people have as well as their levels of stress and trauma.
All told, the pandemic has amplified health disparities among racial groups that have existed for many years. “There are other consequences of structural racism at play,” Ducharme says, “and we need systemic solutions to fix it.”
More than 16.6 million people around the world had been sickened by COVID-19 as of 1 AM eastern time today, and more than 659,000 people have died.
Here is every country with over 250,000 confirmed cases:
Not long ago, Europe seemed to be on the other side of the pandemic. But COVID-19 is spreading there once again, CNN reports. Germany, for instance, has had an unfortunate turnaround after successfully implementing restrictions; cases surged as people emerged from lockdown. Officials connected new cases to big gatherings, a return to work, and travel from other places. "Let's be absolutely clear about what's happening in Europe, amongst some of our European friends: I'm afraid you are starting to see in some places the signs of a second wave of the pandemic," United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson said yesterday.
Saudi Arabia has had one of the worst outbreaks in the Middle East, with more than 270,000 cases and more than 2,700 deaths. But the Hajj—a pilgrimage to Mecca, Islam's holiest site located in Saudi Arabia—is still happening this year. The journey, which typically involves tightly packed crowds of millions from around the world, is being held on a much smaller scale this year, the Associated Press reports. For the first time in almost 100 years, Muslims not already living in Saudi Arabia won’t be allowed to participate; pilgrims must be generally healthy and between the ages of 20 and 50; everyone must quarantine before and after the journey; groups are limited to 20; and everyone must first be tested for the virus—and wear face masks.
The Situation in the U.S.
The U.S. recorded more than 4.3 million coronavirus cases as of 1 AM eastern time today. More than 149,000 people have died. Here's where daily cases have risen or fallen over the last 14 days, shown in confirmed cases per 100,000 residents:
On July 28, there were 61,660 new cases and 1,244 new deaths confirmed in the U.S. Here's how the country as a whole is currently trending:
U.S. President Donald Trump said today that Republicans and Democrats aren’t close to reaching an agreement about the next coronavirus stimulus package, per Bloomberg. “We ought to work on the evictions so that people don’t get evicted, to work on the payments to the people and the rest of it,” Trump said. “We’re so far apart we don’t care.” Short-term measures may be necessary to bridge the gap on unemployment and eviction decisions, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said.
Louie Gohmert, a U.S. Representative from Texas, tested positive for COVID-19 today, Politico reports. Gohmert, a Republican, was supposed to fly with Trump to Texas this morning for a fundraising event; he's no longer joining the President. Gohmert has generally refused to wear a mask, telling CNN in June that he doesn’t need one because he gets tested regularly. At the time, Gohmert said that “if I get it, you’ll never see me without a mask.” But in an interview with KETK News today, Gohmert suggested without evidence that wearing a mask might have been to blame for his getting infected. “I can’t help but wonder if by keeping a mask on and keeping it in place, if I might have put some…of the virus on the mask and breathed it in,” he said.
The National Basketball Association announced today that none of the 344 players quarantined in the league’s Orlando “bubble” have tested positive for the virus since July 20, CNN reports. That’s in stark contrast to Major League Baseball, where the just-started season is in jeopardy amid an outbreak among Miami Marlins players and staff. Unlike the NBA (and National Hockey League), MLB teams are still playing games in their usual ballparks and traveling for road matchups, though with a modified schedule. The NBA’s restarted season tips off tomorrow.
All numbers unless otherwise specified are from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, and are accurate as of July 29, 1 AM eastern time. To see larger, interactive versions of these maps and charts, click here.
WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW
Deaths Are Rising, And It's About to Get a Lot Worse
Medical experts are warning that if the U.S. does not gain control over the pandemic, deaths will rise greatly—"well into the multiple hundreds of thousands," CNN reports. But there is a way to revive the economy and save lives, they believe. Read more here.
A Defender of Underrepresented Voices Dies of the Coronavirus
Moonyeenn Lee, an agent and casting director in South Africa who helped open doors for Black artists in her homeland and in Hollywood, died at age 76 from complications caused by COVID-19. “Moonyeenn’s focus was on leveling the playing field in South Africa between Black and white actors, producers, and filmmakers,” said actor John Kani. Read more here.
The Risky Business of Baseball During a Pandemic
It took more than a dozen team members testing positive for the coronavirus, but the Miami Marlins' baseball season was paused yesterday. (Not doing so would have been “irresponsible, dangerous, reckless, stupid, uncaring, greedy [and] selfish,” in the words of one epidemiologist.) Many other sports leagues are implementing variations of “bubble” quarantines, and the latest surge in cases shows how baseball could benefit from this type of plan, too, says TIME’s Sean Gregory. Read more here.
Home Office Hurting Your Back? Try This
“Lockdown back pain” is a real thing, and TIME’s Patrick Lucas Austin is on a quest to beat it. Luckily, not all of the solutions are expensive: one involves nothing more than a towel and a few rubber bands. Read more here.
Thanks for reading. We hope you find the Coronavirus Brief newsletter to be a helpful tool to navigate this very complex situation, and welcome feedback at coronavirus.brief@time.com.
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Today's newsletter was written by Mandy Oaklander and edited by Alex Fitzpatrick.
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