MINORITIES CONT

Coronavirus and minorities cont...

Courtesy of United States Center for Disease Control Statistics from the CDC show that the highest rates of COVID-19 are within communities of color in the United States. This is most likely due to high rates of poverty within these communities as well as lack of protection given to minimum wage and essential workers, who tend to be largely made up of people of color.

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Approximately 700,000 Native Americans live on 334 reservations across the United States. The poverty rate on reservations is currently at 28.5% while the national average is 12.7%.

Four out of the 10 largest reservations have poverty rates of more than 50%. Those reservations being Fort Peck Indian Reservation (58.5%), Pine Ridge Indian Reservation (52.8%), San Carlos Indian Reservation (52.6%), Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation (54.4%) according to the US Census Bureau.

The Pine Ridge Comprehensive Health Facility is a hospital on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota.

The Health Facility is run by the underfunded and understaffed Indian Health Service. According to the American Medical Association, the money that is funded to the Indian Health Service is spent on medical care and not public health programs.

The Indian Health Service has currently administered a total of 154,043 COVID-19 tests. Out of those 154,043 COVID-19 tests, 12,719 came back as positive for the virus according to the Indian Health Service’s website.

The number of positive cases among Native Americans are quickly increasing. Between 40% and 50% of homes on the Navajo reservation do not have running water which makes the virus spread among people even faster. Due to the lack of basic necessities caused by the absence of funding by the government, reservations are in great need of adequate funding.

“People of color have always walked on eggshells in this country. It appears not much has changed,” Hurtado said.