Minnesota groups bring education, supplies to fight COVID-19 to communities of color, where virus reflects state’s disparities
Monday April 27, 2020
Chauntyll Allen and other volunteers have fanned out along St. Paul’s University Avenue, passing out hand sanitizer and homemade masks to anyone in need.
“I can find the spots where nobody’s being talked to or nobody’s even thinking about,” Allen said.
But in the fight against COVID-19, health officials and community members say they are thinking about the disproportionate impact the virus is having on communities of color.
Although white people have accounted for more than their share of COVID-19 deaths, black and Hispanic Minnesotans have had the most positive tests on a per-capita basis, according to a St. Paul Pioneer Press analysis.
In cases where the state’s data lists race, white Minnesotans accounted for about 90 percent of COVID-19 deaths. The median age of those who have died has been 83.
But for every 100,000 residents, blacks have had 76 positive tests and whites accounted for 33. Hispanics have had more than twice as many positive tests per capita as non-Hispanics.
The overrepresentation of black and Hispanic people contracting the coronavirus has been seen around the country.
“Coronavirus can affect every single person — it does not discriminate who will be infected,” said Kris Ehresmann, the state’s chief infectious disease epidemiologist. “But there are people who are at higher risk based on their age, based on their health conditions, based on their well-being in general.”
Because people of color and American Indians experience inequities in income, housing and employment, they are disproportionately susceptible to multiple health issues and chronic conditions, such as asthma, heart disease and diabetes, according to Kou Thao, director of the Minnesota Department of Health’s Center for Health Equity. Underlying health conditions can increase people’s risk of becoming sicker from COVID-19.
Diverse populations, particularly immigrants and refugees, also often work in manufacturing or the food industry, where the virus can spread in the absence of appropriate preventive measures, Thao said.
“The pandemic isn’t going to fix the racial disparities that we have within chronic disease rates in our communities,” said Kathy Hedin, director of St. Paul-Ramsey County Public Health. “… It’s mirroring what we’re seeing and, unfortunately, we can’t wipe away racial disparities in the six weeks that we’ve been dealing with coronavirus here in Minnesota.”
Making the message personal
Ashkiro Said, a member of a Somali interpreters association in the Twin Cities, said she and other interpreters have been volunteering to get the message out. They’re going to apartment buildings in St. Paul to translate COVID-19 information from the Minnesota Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Some people have nicknamed the coronavirus “the arrogant flu” in Somali, according to Said. “They don’t take it serious, they think it’s just a cold,” she said.
But for every 100,000 residents, blacks have had 76 positive tests and whites accounted for 33. Hispanics have had more than twice as many positive tests per capita as non-Hispanics.
The overrepresentation of black and Hispanic people contracting the coronavirus has been seen around the country.
“Coronavirus can affect every single person — it does not discriminate who will be infected,” said Kris Ehresmann, the state’s chief infectious disease epidemiologist. “But there are people who are at higher risk based on their age, based on their health conditions, based on their well-being in general.”
Because people of color and American Indians experience inequities in income, housing and employment, they are disproportionately susceptible to multiple health issues and chronic conditions, such as asthma, heart disease and diabetes, according to Kou Thao, director of the Minnesota Department of Health’s Center for Health Equity. Underlying health conditions can increase people’s risk of becoming sicker from COVID-19.
Diverse populations, particularly immigrants and refugees, also often work in manufacturing or the food industry, where the virus can spread in the absence of appropriate preventive measures, Thao said.
“The pandemic isn’t going to fix the racial disparities that we have within chronic disease rates in our communities,” said Kathy Hedin, director of St. Paul-Ramsey County Public Health. “… It’s mirroring what we’re seeing and, unfortunately, we can’t wipe away racial disparities in the six weeks that we’ve been dealing with coronavirus here in Minnesota.”
Making the message personal
Ashkiro Said, a member of a Somali interpreters association in the Twin Cities, said she and other interpreters have been volunteering to get the message out. They’re going to apartment buildings in St. Paul to translate COVID-19 information from the Minnesota Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Some people have nicknamed the coronavirus “the arrogant flu” in Somali, according to Said. “They don’t take it serious, they think it’s just a cold,” she said.
That’s why Said has especially been talking to elderly people and handing out homemade masks that people have given her.
“They’re thankful and they’re confused, so I interpret for them what the guidelines are,” according to Said. “I tell them that this is very serious and they need to follow the guidelines.”
The Minnesota Department of Health and local public health agencies have been working to distribute information in various languages, and they’re also looking at the best ways to make it resonate with people.
“Sometimes that looks like changing the language, for example, around physical distancing,” said Heather Gillich, manager of the Minneapolis Health Department’s Healthy Living Initiative. “In some communities, it’s not as relevant to say, ‘Do this to protect yourself.’ It’s more about, ‘Do this to protect your loved ones.’ ”
Testing limitations don’t show full picture
Gov. Tim Walz has announced that the state is partnering with the University of Minnesota and Mayo Clinic to significantly ramp up testing.
Because testing has been limited thus far, it will need to be done widely “to more truly see what the impacts are because we know the cases that we’re getting are just the tip of the iceberg,” said Luisa Pessoa-Brandão, manager of epidemiology, research and evaluation at the Minneapolis Health Department.
There’s no question there are disparities in Minnesota, but people should use caution when interpreting the data since testing has not been widespread, Ehresmann said.
“Right now, we have been overtesting, if you will, in certain populations,” she said. “The data that we have is reflecting both where we’ve done testing, as well as the populations in those settings.”
Testing has been prioritized because of limitations in supplies and personal protective equipment. Initially, it was focused on people who had traveled internationally. Then, it shifted to health care workers and people living or working in congregate care settings, such as senior housing and assisted living.
There are more workers of color in congregate care settings, Ehresmann said, and when testing increased at those locations, the state started to see more confirmed cases among those demographics.
An outbreak at the JBS pork plant in Worthington has led to the testing of its diverse workforce and their family members.
On the other hand, a large proportion of people living in congregate care settings who are over 80 are likely to be white, Ehresmann said, and senior living facilities have been hit especially hard by COVID-19 fatalities.
The state doesn’t have demographic data for everyone who is tested, only those who are confirmed to have COVID-19. When Minnesota Department of Health workers interview people with confirmed cases to determine who they may have been in contact with, they also ask them their race and ethnicity.
In about 20 percent of the cases, the race of patients was listed as unknown, as of Thursday’s data.
A holistic approach
The Minnesota Department of Health and local public health departments say they’re focusing on community outreach. They’re also connecting with culturally specific radio stations and media outlets to get out the word about COVID-19 precautions.
“We’ve heard a lot of questions around: What do you do if you’re sick? What about masks? What’s acceptable for a mask? What is social distancing? What does that mean? How does that translate into our day to day?” said Kelsey Dawson Walton, who is leading Hennepin County’s COVID-19 community engagement response. She said community liaisons work to answer those questions, and the county has a helpline to connect people with needed services.
St. Paul-Ramsey County Public Health has about 20 community liaisons who speak various languages and who already have connections in the community to help people with getting the information they need about COVID-19, Hedin said.
In a grassroots effort in St. Paul, Chauntyll Allen and other volunteers have been making their way along the Green Line and bus stops to give people hand sanitizer and masks. People who want to volunteer can contact [email protected], and they’re collecting donations at paypal.me/Sanitizethecities to get more supplies onto the streets.
Allen, an organizer with Black Lives Matter Twin Cities, said the work has to go beyond the immediate needs of masks and hand sanitizer toward a holistic approach of ensuring people have medical insurance and access to health care, healthy foods and economic stability.
She said the disproportionate impact that COVID-19 is having on black communities scares her.
“But it’s not any different than the disparities we live with every day,” said Allen, who is also a St. Paul school board member. “As long as we continue to move in our positive ways and do what we know we need to do for ourselves, I believe we can overcome it. We are strong people.”
