The COVID-19 pandemic has shocked the world, leading to some half a million deaths worldwide (at the time of writing) and many more lives that are forever changed. In the course of its spread throughout the world, the virus has consistently shown to hit the most vulnerable hardest, whether that is due to the pandemic’s health or financial impacts.
Throughout the US, for example, the Hispanic community has found itself to be more affected than many in American society, leading some to question why this is the case. The answer is not simple and is one that is deeply rooted in the cultural and social conditions of the Hispanic community, American society, and the healthcare system.
Racial Disparities and Pre-Existing Health Conditions
To begin with, according to the CDC, American Indians, African Americans and Hispanics or Latinos are up to five times more likely to be hospitalized due to the novel coronavirus than non-Hispanic white Americans, highlighting the racial disparities in the US. One reason for this could be that these groups are typically poorer with less access to information due to language barriers. Another is that they often have higher rates of underlying health problems, such as Type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure, which means they may be more severely affected and have worse outcomes upon coronavirus infection.
Cultural Conditions
There are also cultural conditions that could lead to the imbalanced impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Hispanic community, such as having more of an emphasis on physical contact and having larger families living together, possibly with a grandparent, which could increase the chances of infection. Latinos are also more likely to be working in roles in places like meatpacking plants and warehouses where they cannot socially isolate as easily as white Americans, with four out of five Latinos being essential workers. In some states, they may also potentially be more likely to live in apartments with more contact with other individuals. Similar patterns have been seen among poorer and more vulnerable groups around the world.
The Language Barrier
Of course, one also has to remember that many Hispanics in the US do not speak English as a first language and, therefore, could be more likely to feel less informed about important national measures to prevent infection as well as national measures to provide financial relief. When this lower level of information, already proven to have negative health and social outcomes, is combined with the US healthcare system, it seems almost inevitable that many in these communities will be left behind. Further to this, in the US healthcare system where health insurance is key, vulnerable people such as some in poorer Hispanic communities may lack sufficient insurance and therefore lack sufficient healthcare coverage, leading to poorer health outcomes.
The impact of the pandemic goes beyond health impacts, with the impact on the global economy being hard to ignore. Many have lost their jobs while many industries such as the service industry have been devastated, meaning many vulnerable workers have now seen their income reduced drastically. In fact, while 60% of Americans have lost income due to the coronavirus, this figure is 90% among Spanish-speaking Hispanics. The industries in which many Hispanics work in the US have been severely affected and when this is combined with less access to information regarding financial support due to language barriers, the pre-existing divisions in American society are widened.
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the most vulnerable and most privileged in society and shown very real consequences of this division, as well as the importance of information and reduced language and social barriers to overcoming these difficulties. Addressing many of the issues that adversely affect the Hispanic community may be difficult but increasing access to information in Spanish would go a long way to helping the most vulnerable before moving on to tackling the social divisions in the US.
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Very interesting points there. I wish you the best, especially those of you in Spain. Germany is struggling too but the numbers affected by the pandemic are smaller – for now. Good luck to us all!