Fauci: Covid-19 Showed Effects of Racism in US

By Staff, Agencies 

White House health advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci unveiled that Covid-19 has revealed the “undeniable racism” in the US, as minorities were affected by the virus at greater rates because of “social determinants.”

The now world-famous US infectious disease expert made his comments during a virtual commencement address for graduates of Emory University.

“Covid-19 has shone a bright light on our own society’s failings,” Fauci said, noting the health disparities that have affected minorities during the pandemic, especially African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans. 

He further argued that “Many people belonging to these minority groups work frontline jobs that exposed them, even during shutdowns.”

Fauci also said: “They can be more likely to be infected because of health conditions such as hypertension, chronic lung disease, diabetes, and obesity. These are conditions that can mostly be attributed to social factors like access to healthcare and availability of an adequate diet.” 

“Now, very few of these comorbidities have racial determinants,” he emphasized noting that “Almost all relate to the social determinants of health dating back to disadvantageous conditions that some people of color find themselves in from birth regarding the availability of an adequate diet, access to healthcare and the undeniable effects of racism in our society.”

The battle to end these “social determinants” will take a “decades-long commitment.”

“Let us promise ourselves our memory of this tragic reality - that an infectious disease disparately kills people of color - does not fade,” he said. “Righting this wrong will take a decades-long commitment. I urge you to be part of that commitment.”

This comes as Black and Hispanic Americans have been dying at higher rates than other races from Covid-19 in the US, according to analysis released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last fall.