OUR SHOT AT A HEALTHIER STATE BY BRITTANY DESMUKE O N M A R C H 11, 2020, P in e Bluf f,
Unfortunately, not only was the virus
found that minority populations are
Arkansas, became ground zero for the
swift, but it was deadly.
disproportionately impacted by COVID19. According to the Centers for Disease
state’s first case of COVID-19. Seven days later, 107 Arkansans had experienced the same fate. Dr. José Romero, Arkansas Secretary of Health, was less than surprised to learn that the virus had reached the Natural State. “It was only a matter of time before Arkansas would be involved in the pandemic,” he said. And he wasn’t wrong. Since COVID-19 was first detected in Wuhan, China in December 2019, the virus had quickly crept into the United States the following January.
To date, Arkansas has seen nearly 500,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 8,000 deaths. Nationwide, more than 40 million cases have been reported and nearly 700,000 people have died from the virus.
Control and Prevention (CDC), minorities are five times more likely to contract the virus, ten times more likely to be hospitalized from the virus and seven times more likely to die from the virus
COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused
than their white counterparts.
by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus that first appeared in China.
“The reason is multifactorial,” said Dr.
The virus causes mild to severe symptoms ranging from coughing, fever and chills, nausea and vomiting to trouble breathing, persistent chest pain and the inability to stay awake. Based on data gathered throughout t h e p a n d e m i c , re s e a r c h e r s h av e
Romero. “One of the major reasons is long-standing and pervasive healthcare disparities. Racial and ethnic minority populations in Arkansas and for that matter, throughout the United States, have suffered from lack of adequate access to healthcare.
AMHC 2021
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