As the rate of COVID-19 cases continues to increase locally, Washtenaw County health officials have broken down the number of cases by zip code and race. 89.1 WEMU's Lisa Barry reports it has highlighted some disparaties in the county.
The newly-published data shows 44 percent of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Washtenaw County are residents of the 48198 and 48197 zip codes in Ypsilanti and Ypsilanti Township. Of the 112 Washtenaw County residents who have been hospitalized due to the virus, 48 percent have been African-American.
County health officer Jimena Loveluck says this information can highlight health disparaties that are deeply rooted in our society. Similar disparaties have been seen in Michigan and elsewhere in the United States.
The report states, “Due to structural and environmental racism, African Americans are more likely to have underlying health conditions and are less likely to have access to health care."
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— Lisa Barry is the host of All Things Considered on WEMU. You can contact Lisa at 734.487.3363, on Twitter @LisaWEMU, or email her at lbarryma@emich.edu