African-Americans in Chester County and the entire Philadelphia region do not have same levels of access to healthcare and related services as white residents, and the consequences are clearly visible in coronavirus infection rates, writes Kasra Zarei for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

In Chester County, the number of cases per 10,000 residents for African-Americans is 74, while for white residents that number is just 27.

This situation has been facilitated due to a number of reasons that are best described as systemic racism – including unequal access to opportunities for even some essential needs, including quality education, affordable and healthy foods, and the living wage.

Now, the COVID-19 pandemic is revealing this public health crisis clearly and starkly nationwide.

“In the broadest sense, no matter what the disease – coronavirus, hunger, or chronic diseases – the same people are always at risk: people who have been systematically oppressed because of their race or other aspects of their identity,” said Shreya Kangovi, founding executive director of the Penn Center for Community Health Workers.

Read more about COVID-19 in The Philadelphia Inquirer here.

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