By Beth LaBlanc
People wait in line (click here) for masks and food in Harlem in New York City in April. African Americans are at much higher risk of contracting COVID-19 as whites. Some states are taking steps to diminish that gap during the pandemic, including providing additional testing and giving out personal protective equipment in vulnerable communities with large populations of minorities.
Fewer Black Michigan residents (click here) are getting and dying from COVID-19, according to a recent report from the Michigan Task Force on Racial Disparities.
The number of cases between March and October dropped from 176 cases per million people per day to 59 cases per million people per day, according to the report issued during a Thursday press conference.
Likewise, deaths have dropped between April and October from 21.7 deaths per million people per day to 1 death per million people per day.
Michigan was one of the first states in the nation to begin to analyze cases and deaths by race and soon found Black individuals were disproportionately affected by the virus.
In April, the state found 40% of those killed by the virus were African American, even though Black individuals make up about 14% of the population....
