*The rapid spread of the novel coronavirus in Michigan is beginning to overwhelm the hospital system. As of Thursday, there were 10,791 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state and 417 deaths, with Black folks being most affected.
According to data from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, 35 percent of the state’s confirmed cases are Black Americans, who also accounted for 40 percent of the state’s 417 coronavirus related deaths, per PEOPLE. African-Americans make up 12 percent of Michigan’s population.
Meanwhile, America now has the most confirmed cases of COVID-19 of any country in the world, with at least 243,729 infected, and 6,164 deaths related to the virus.
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NEW: Michigan is now reporting the racial breakdown of COVID-19 cases. So far, 10,791 positive cases have been reported & 417 deaths. Of that, African Americans account for 35% of cases & 40% of deaths. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, just 14.1% of MI’s population is black. pic.twitter.com/3e4dKIusFB
— Kat Stafford (@kat__stafford) April 2, 2020
Michigan released a racial breakdown of its confirmed cases on Thursday: caucasians made up 26 percent of COVID-19 related deaths, 3 percent were “multiple races or other,” 1 percent was Asian/Pacific Islander, and 30 percent were unknown, according to the MDHHS data.
Of the overall confirmed cases, 25 percent were caucasian, 5 percent were multiple races or other, 1 percent was Asian/Pacific Islander and 34 percent were unknown.
Trump critics have noted that the president’s reluctance to send proper medical aid to the state during this pandemic is because Black folks are the ones primarily dying from the virus.
This latest data has prompted NAACP President Derrick Johnson to urge people to “pay attention.”
“Pay attention,” Johnson wrote on Twitter, along with a message about Michigan’s coronavirus data. “#COVID19 is hitting our community hard. Stay safe & demand that your leaders protect you. @NAACP thank you @kat__stafford for sharing.”
Some folks are asking about the unknown percentages. Here’s what a state spokesperson told me last night when I asked for the COVID-19 racial breakdown: pic.twitter.com/Xd3DS9Ax9x
— Kat Stafford (@kat__stafford) April 2, 2020
A spokesperson from the health department told the Associated Press that “data on race is collected by local health jurisdictions in Michigan and entered into our system. While it is improving, that data is incomplete in our system for many individuals (now down to about 30 percent), so that’s why we haven’t been reporting it one the website.”
Michigan’s chief medical executive, Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, told the Detroit Metro Times that COVID-19 is “having a more significant effect on marginalized and poorer communities, particularly communities of color.”
“While COVID-19 can infect anyone regardless of race or class, African Americans have historically been more likely to have higher rates of chronic medical conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer in the United States,” Khaldun told the outlet. “We know that people with these underlying medical conditions are more likely to become severely ill from COVID-19.”
Many of the state’s confirmed cases and deaths are in Detroit, which has a population that is 80 percent Black.
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