Black Americans are still dealing with issues as a result of COVID-19 years two years after the beginning of the pandemic, according to a report by the Black Coalition Against COVID.
Created alongside the Equity Research and Innovation Center at Yale School of Medicine and the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine, the new report details that Black Americans are struggling in multiple aspects of life at higher rates compared to white Americans.
“This report draws attention to the continued disproportionate burden experienced by members of the Black community and will help guide advocacy and policy efforts to address these inequities—both during the current pandemic and beyond,” said the Chair of the historic Presidential COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force, Marcella Nunez-Smith MD, MHS, in a statement in the report.
When it comes to mental health, the Black Coalition Against COVID, also known as BCAC, found that more Black Americans are experiencing anxiety and depression than white Americans as they recuperate from the higher rates of job losses.
As a result, there’s been increased substance use. According to the report, in a recent study by the Department of Allied Health Sciences at the University of Connecticut among others, researchers found that overdoses on opioids increased by 52.1% amongst Black Americans. Meanwhile, for white Americans, opioid overdoses decreased by 24%.
BCAC also reports that Black Americans are still catching up on learning curricula as the pause in schooling set Black Americans back more than white Americans. While white Americans lost about four to eight months of schooling, Black Americans lost a year’s worth.
As for financial issues, BCAC report that 21% of Black Americans have said they experience food insecurity. This percentage is about twice that of white Americans.
The release of the BCAC’s findings come days after a report by the CDC was released, detailing the hospitalization rates during the Omicron wave. According to the report, as rates in January reached pandemic levels, Black adults were hospitalized more than adults in any other ethnic group or race.
Compared to white Americans, Black Americans with Omicron were put into the hospital at rates four times higher. The same racial disparities that lead to these figures, such as delay in testing and treatment, are predicted by the BCAC to contribute to more cases of Long Covid, the long-term symptoms of COVID.
To help fix these lasting issues, the BCAC recommends instant action. Amongst increased access to therapists, the organization recommends more COVID-19 tests, specifically at-home testing sites, as well as Long Covid testing and treatment research that include Black American participants.
The BCAC also recommends providing more resources to help the children get back on their learning track and more available jobs with wages that are enough to support a family and battle food insecurity.
“We hope to bring attention to the continued burden of COVID-19 in the Black community, even as we as a nation have made incredible progress overall,” said Nunez-Smith in a statement in the report. “Even as we celebrate achievements towards COVID-19 equity, we know there is more work to do.”
