Disproportionate Impact of COVID-19 on low-income communities and Black and Brown communities.
Community Health is impacted by many physical and psychosocial factors. Some of these factors include age, culture, race, gender, and living situations.
- Discuss the COVID-19 response and how it has disproportionately impacted low-income communities and Black and Brown communities. Has COVID-19 shed any light on how to improve your environment and as a proxy, your health? In what ways, if any, has COVID-19 disproportionately impacted your community? What impact has frequent testing and vaccination played in your community’s COVID-19 response (if any)? Lastly, identify a community organization that has responded to COVID-19 and explain what they have done to help people who have been afflicted during the pandemic.
Sample Answer
COVID-19 Response and Disproportionate Impact on Low-Income Communities and Black and Brown Communities
The COVID-19 response has disproportionately impacted low-income communities and Black and Brown communities for a number of reasons, including:
- Social determinants of health: Low-income communities and Black and Brown communities are more likely to experience social determinants of health, such as poverty, lack of access to healthcare, and food insecurity. These social determinants of health can make people more vulnerable to COVID-19 infection and more likely to experience severe illness from the virus.
- Occupational exposure: Low-income workers and workers of color are more likely to work in essential jobs that put them at increased risk of COVID-19 exposure. For example, many low-income workers work in jobs such as food service, retail, and transportation. These jobs often involve working in close contact with other people and handling contaminated surfaces.