Disparity is noted in who gets access to testing

In Nashville, three drive-thru testing centers sat empty for weeks because the city couldn't acquire the necessary testing equipment and protective gear like gloves and masks. All of them are in diverse neighborhoods. One is on the campus of Meharry Medical College — a historically black institution.

"There's no doubt that some institutions have the resources and clout to maybe get these materials faster and easier," said Dr. James Hildreth, president of Meharry and an infectious disease specialist.

His school is in the heart of Nashville, where there were no screening centers until this week.

Most of the testing in the region took place at walk-in clinics managed by Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and those are primarily located in historically white areas like Belle Meade and Brentwood, Tennessee.

Hildreth said he has observed no overt bias on the part of healthcare workers and doesn't suspect any. But he said the distribution of testing sites shows a disparity in access to medical care that has long persisted.

https://www.modernhealthcare.com/safety-quality/long-standing-racial-and-income-disparities-seen-creeping-covid-19-care?utm_source=modern-healthcare-covid-19-coverage&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20200406&utm_content=article3-headline

The disproportionate impact appears to be attributable to preexisting conditions — high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and inadequate access to health care — that make African Americans more vulnerable to the disease. But the handful of examples above raises an urgent question: Does the effect hold true for African Americans throughout the country?

U.S. Surgeon General: 'I and many black Americans are at higher risk for covid'

On April 7, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams, discussed the lack of health equity when it comes to the impact covid-19 may have on African Americans. (Reuters)

Unfortunately, there’s no way for the public to know. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is not providing nationwide data about covid-19’s impact on African Americans, Latinos or other racial and ethnic groups. The CDC customarily reports such data, but it has not done so with covid-19. Many states and counties are also not publishing the information. As of Tuesday, the CDC had not responded to inquiries about whether it has the demographic data and isn’t releasing it, or simply isn’t tracking the information.

In this critical moment, the federal government must collect and disclose racial data on covid-19 testing, cases and deaths. States and local governments should do the same. This demographic data could help save lives. Understanding which populations are most vulnerable allows public health officials to partner with messengers who can speak credibly to specific communities, offering up-to-date information about social distancing, sheltering in place and other preventive measures.

The data also would allow public health officials to more effectively deploy testing to particular areas, track the virus on social networks, and identify and contain its spread. This containment helps not just communities most vulnerable to covid-19, but all Americans.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-cdc-must-end-its-silence-on-the-racial-impact-of-covid-19/2020/04/07/6d686450-7906-11ea-9bee-c5bf9d2e3288_story.html