COVID-19 and equity
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed and exacerbated health inequities in the United States. These inequities have manifested themselves in terms of unequal COVID-19 outcomes: an August 2022 analysis from the American Public Media (APM) Research Lab found that Indigenous, Latino, Pacific Islander, and Black Americans experienced a disproportionate number of COVID-19 deaths over the course of the pandemic. Indigenous Americans have experienced the highest death rate from COVID-19 of any of the groups tracked by APM. According to a 2021 report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), these disparities are due to a lack of equitable access to the American healthcare system—when the mortality rate data is adjusted for insurance status, comorbidities, neighborhood deprivation, and site of care, there is no significant difference in mortality between Black and white Americans. A July 2022 report from the Kaiser Family Foundation also found a disparity in vaccination rates between Black and white Americans, with 59 percent of Black Americans having received at least one vaccine dose compared to 65 percent of white Americans. This disparity was even more pronounced in the first stages of the vaccine rollout in the U.S. when there was significantly less access to COVID-19 vaccines.
The economic recession resulting from the pandemic also exacerbated economic inequities in the United States. While there was a large gap between white and Black unemployment rates before the pandemic, this gap widened in 2020. As of the second quarter of 2022, the Black unemployment rate is nearly double that of the white unemployment rate in the U.S., according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
For more information on COVID-19 and addressing inequity, see the following resources:
CDC: Health Equity resources for community organizations and employers
COVID-19 Conversations: A webinar series from the American Public Health Associations
American Hospital Association: 5 Actions to Promote Health Equity During the COVID-19 Pandemic
American Medical Association: COVID-19 Health Equity Resources
resources from rye
In 2020, racial disparities seen among infection rates and fatalities due to COVID-19 and the protests resulting from the murder of George Floyd at the hands of police highlighted the racism inherent in American society. Economic development as a profession, must address the economic consequences of structural racism and recognize the profession's role in sustaining systems that propagate inequality along racial lines. Restore Your Economy published a series and blog posts on this subject in 2020, which are listed below:
New Conversations: Latinx Populations and COVID
Stats Show Minorites More Impacted By COVID-19
Align Your Community's Values With the Workforce of Tomorrow
Impending Tide of Evictions Threatens Low Income Populations
Minority-owned Businesses Struggle to Access COVID-19 Assistance
A Pause For Reflection: Juneteenth and Economic Development
Essential Workers Protected by DACA Ruling
Employment After Incarceration in the COVID-19 Era
After Protests, Help For Minority-owned Businesses
The Link Between George Floyd's Death and COVID-19: Structural Racism
COVID-19
EDRP Briefs