Doctors report that the coronavirus pandemic and Floyd’s death has made it challenging to manage high blood pressure, diabetes (chronic diseases), and stress that affect black people.
Black people suffer challenges in terms of safety and health care that has physical and psychological effects. They are susceptible to chronic diseases like hypertension and diabetes, that has become a challenge to manage during the pandemic and the loss of Floyd.
A psychiatrist, Dr Patrice Harris (president of the American Medical Association) and Dr Jesse Ehrenfeld (American Medical Association Trustee) said in an article,
“We are exhausted, and we are not OK, but its harm is elevated amid the remarkable stress people are facing in the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Moreover, Floyd’s death is linked to chronic illness (high blood pressure), elevated stress, and these contributed to increased virus deaths in Black people. The doctors and psychologists started to re-open their offices and were braced with sick and shocked patients.
Most of the black patients of Dr Brittani James were affected by the virus. She fears that another wave of deaths is coming to America, and that is expected due to chronic illness. She said,
“As a black doctor, I feel like I am failing my patients every day, and many are afraid to visit, that led to uncontrolled blood pressure.”
The US government statistics in the last three to four months indicated an increase in chronic deaths in the US, compared to historical data. More than 7000 deaths from hypertension, 4000 due to diabetes, and about 3000 stroke deaths have been reported. These chronic illnesses immensely affect black people in the US.
The brutal death of Floyd has affected the black community with psychological trauma, and the health professionals recommend immediate measures to manage the stress, anxiety, and fear. The health equity director at the Association of American Medical Colleges, Dr Malika Fair said,
“Now there is evidence that Blacks with fever and cough are less likely than whites to be referred for COVID-19 testing.”
Black community accounts for 30% of Chicago’s population, but nationwide the disparity of their COVID-19 deaths is almost half. About 13% population in 40 American states represent black people, but the Associated Press Health data reported that nearly 26% of black people died due to coronavirus.
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