Michal Grinstein-Weiss, Shanti K. Kinduka Distinguished Professor in the Brown School
While it is clear that the novel coronavirus does not discriminate based on factors such as an individual’s race and economic status, we do know that it is disproportionately impacting those who are least likely to have the resources to fight it.
Recent infection data from the city of St. Louis confirms it. In a map listing positive coronavirus cases by ZIP code, we see a greater concentration of cases in low-income and highly segregated ZIP codes in the city.
Sadly, that data is not surprising.
Low-income individuals are more likely to experience detrimental health and financial outcomes, and even more so for African American populations. This virus has the potential to be particularly devastating in St. Louis, ranked as having the sixth-highest rate of minority residential segregation among the 50 largest metro areas in the United States. Policymakers should keep the following in mind as the pandemic continues to unfold in the city.
Read the full piece in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.