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Has the COVID-19 pandemic worsened systemic racism, and if so, how?

Hamilton Koch

The COVID-19 pandemic has shed light on the harsh reality of systemic racism, proving that the virus does not discriminate, but the healthcare system and society do. The pandemic has further worsened the already existing systemic racism, laying bare the inequalities that people of color, particularly Black people, face every day.

The pandemic has indeed further amplified systemic racism. The virus has disproportionately affected Black and Latinx communities in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Black and Latinx people are nearly three times more likely to contract COVID-19, five times more likely to require hospitalization, and twice as likely to die from the virus compared to their white counterparts.

The reasons behind these disparities are manifold. The pandemic is not the root cause, but rather, it has exposed and exacerbated long-standing systemic discrimination. The healthcare system has long been riddled with inequalities, including the unequal distribution of resources and physicians bias towards Black and Brown people. The pandemic has brought these issues to the forefront, leaving people of color with less access to care and worse health outcomes.

Moreover, the pandemic has worsened the economic disparities that people of color experience. Black and Latinx communities have been disproportionately affected by job losses and economic downturns, leading to a greater financial burden on these families. This economic downturn has proven to be especially challenging for those who were already living in poverty before the pandemic.

Furthermore, the pandemic has highlighted the systemic racism in the criminal justice system. The disproportionate number of Black people and people of color who were arrested, charged or detained are placed in confined spaces with little access to resources, leading to higher COVID-19 case rates than in the general population. This perpetuates the cycle of systemic racism and further exacerbates the negative health outcomes of Black and Brown people.

In conclusion, the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened systemic racism. It has exposed the existing inequalities across different systems, from healthcare to the economy to the criminal justice system. It’s our responsibility as a society to acknowledge these disparities and work towards dismantling them. Everyone, including the government, healthcare providers, and individuals, has a role to play in ensuring the equal treatment and access to care for everyone. The pandemic has reiterated the need for systemic change, both in policy and our societal attitudes, to ensure a better and more equitable future for everyone.