Coronavirus death toll among L.A. County minorities fueled by racism, inequality: Officials

A funeral service for Charles Jackson, who died from COVID-19, was held at Angelus Funeral Home in Los Angeles on April 15. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

by: Los Angeles Times

Posted: Jun 9, 2020 / 10:33 AM PDT

Updated: Jun 9, 2020 / 10:33 AM PDT

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Black, Latino and Pacific Islander residents of Los Angeles County are twice as likely to have died from infection by the coronavirus, according to new data, a troubling sign of the role racism and inequity have played in the uneven spread of COVID-19.

For the first time in L.A. County’s weekly tracking, the death rate per 100,000 people among Latinos is now double that of white people, according to data released by county officials Friday.

White residents of L.A. County were the least likely racial and ethnic group to die from the virus, with 15 fatalities reported per 100,000 Caucasian residents.

Officials estimated that if minorities were dying at the same rate as whites, there would have been more than 700 fewer deaths in L.A. County. As of Tuesday, there had been 2,656 coronavirus-related deaths in the county.

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