Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, communities of color have been — and continue to be — hit disproportionately hard. Let’s talk about why. » Subscribe to Seeker! http://bit.ly/subscribeseeker » Watch more Elements! http://bit.ly/ElementsPlaylist » Visit our shop at http://shop.seeker.com/ When it comes to the racial health disparities that have emerged throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, some have postulated that genetics are the underlying cause. But the data indicates that something else is at play. If we take the U.S. as an example, 13% of the country’s population is Black, but Black people make up 24% of deaths from COVID— that means that Black people in the U.S. are dying at a rate that’s roughly double their population share. So, what accounts for the massive racial health disparities that we see in say, the U.S.? A person's health is the result of a number of things beyond their actual body (and their control): access to healthcare, socioeconomic status, where you live, what language you speak, what job you have, your healthcare provider, and so much more. In this Elements, we speak with Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, Director of the Equity Research and Innovation Center at the Yale School of Medicine, to find out more about what COVID-19 racial disparities look like and why they exist. #covid19 #health #healthcare #inequality #science #medicine #seeker #elements Read More: The Fullest Look Yet at the Racial Inequity of Coronavirus https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/07/05/us/coronavirus-latinos-african-americans-cdc-data.html "...new federal data — made available after The New York Times sued the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — reveals a clearer and more complete picture: Black and Latino people have been disproportionately affected by the coronavirus in a widespread manner that spans the country, throughout hundreds of counties in urban, suburban and rural areas, and across all age groups." Race Is Real, But It’s Not Genetic https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/race-is-real-but-its-not-genetic "Like a fish in water, we’ve all been engulfed by “the smog” of thinking that “race” is biologically real. Thus, it is easy to incorrectly conclude that “racial” differences in health, wealth and all manner of other outcomes are the inescapable result of genetic differences." The Other COVID Risks: How Race, Income, ZIP Code Influence Who Lives Or Dies https://khn.org/news/covid-south-other-risk-factors-how-race-income-zip-code-influence-who-lives-or-dies/ "Federal health officials have known for nearly a decade which communities are most likely to suffer devastating losses ― both in lives and jobs ― during a disease outbreak or other major disaster. In 2011, the CDC created the Social Vulnerability Index to rate all the nation’s counties on factors such as poverty, housing and access to vehicles that predict their ability to prepare, cope and recover from disasters." ____________________ Elements is more than just a science show. It’s your science-loving best friend, tasked with keeping you updated and interested on all the compelling, innovative and groundbreaking science happening all around us. Join our passionate hosts as they help break down and present fascinating science, from quarks to quantum theory and beyond. Seeker empowers the curious to understand the science shaping our world. We tell award-winning stories about the natural forces and groundbreaking innovations that impact our lives, our planet, and our universe. Visit the Seeker website https://www.seeker.com/videos Elements on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SeekerElements/ Subscribe now! null Seeker on Twitter http://twitter.com/seeker Seeker on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SeekerMedia/ Seeker http://www.seeker.com/