How COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted people of color in Syracuse
Cassie Cavallaro | Asst. Illustration Editor
Despite making up only 10.8% of the population, Black residents accounted for 23.9% of confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of March 9.
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In December, a doctor told Janice Lovette that her father, Douglas Dixie, only had 24 to 48 hours before he was going to die of COVID-19.
Nearly three months later, Dixie is alive and has recovered. But to Lovette, he is only alive today because she and her family did not give up hope, even when some employees at the hospital did.
We stand together in expressing serious concern with the Trump administration s vaccine distribution plan. While we are encouraged by recent reports regarding the vaccines efficacy, there is urgent work to be done to ensure vaccination efforts are both expeditious and fair.
Governors need federal funding in order to execute comprehensive distribution plans to guarantee that all communities have access to the vaccine. The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials estimates that a comprehensive vaccine distribution program would cost approximately $8 billion. To date, the Trump Administration has administered a mere $200 million to the states.
Without adequate funding, distribution will not be equitable. COVID-19 has laid bare chronic health disparities in our country that led communities of color to suffer disproportionately from this virus. Communities of color disproportionately suffer from pre-existing conditions, such as asthma, obesity and hyp