Department of Sociology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
J Racial Ethn Health Disparities. 2021 Jun;8(3):794-797. doi: 10.1007/s40615-021-00988-8. Epub 2021 Mar 17.
The coronavirus continues to take a devastating toll on the population of the USA. But that toll is not identical across all segments of the population. Specifically, Black citizens are more likely than their White counterparts to experience the dislocations associated with the coronavirus. Nor is the extent of racial differences fully known, given limitations to the testing, hospitalization, and other data currently compiled. What does emerge, however, is an understanding that the reported outcomes reflect social inequities rather than biological predispositions. The inequities flow from both historical forces and contemporary ones that leave sizeable fractions of the Black population without access to quality healthcare or safe environments. The discrepancies suggest that the development of safe and effective vaccines might not eliminate the racial disparities associated with COVID-19, for that development will not alone erode levels of structural racism in the society. Concerted actions that engage multiple segments and participants are demanded.
冠状病毒继续对美国人口造成毁灭性的影响。但这种影响在所有人群中并不相同。具体来说，黑人比白人更有可能经历与冠状病毒相关的混乱。由于目前收集的检测、住院和其他数据存在局限性，种族差异的程度也不完全清楚。然而，有一点是显而易见的，即报告的结果反映了社会不平等，而不是生物倾向。这种不平等源于历史和当代的力量，使得相当一部分黑人无法获得高质量的医疗保健或安全的环境。这些差异表明，开发安全有效的疫苗可能无法消除与 COVID-19 相关的种族差异，因为这种开发本身并不能消除社会中的结构性种族主义水平。需要采取多方面和多参与者的协同行动。
