America has lost more people from the coronavirus than during the Anglo-American War, the Gulf War, and a number of other military conflicts (not including the First and Second World Wars). Such data are cited by the US Department of Veterans Affairs. In total, almost 800 thousand people were infected with COVID-19 in the United States, as of April 22, more than 45 thousand people died. At the same time, African Americans are more often victims of the pandemic in the country. They are more susceptible to infection. Izvestia found out what explains such a racial gap in the number of victims of the coronavirus.

We are doing everything in our power to cope with this disaster, this is a huge problem. It’s horrible. Why is this [coronavirus pandemic] three, four times more likely to happen to blacks than others? There is no logic in this. I don’t like it, – said US President Donald Trump, speaking at the White House.

One of the first about the racial gap in the number of victims of the coronavirus was announced by the chief medical officer of the United States, Jerome Adams, during a speech on the CBS television channel. The Washington Post also conducted a large-scale study in counties with a predominantly black population and found that the incidence rate of coronavirus in them is three times, and the death rate from COVID-19 is six times higher than in other counties with a predominantly white population.

As a result, the medical surveillance service has also recognized the increased risk for African Americans. For example, in Milwaukee, out of a thousand people infected, 81% are African Americans, although there are only 26% of them in the city. Similar data are given for other cities and states. In Louisiana, blacks make up only 32% of the state’s population, while 70% of all deaths from the pandemic in this state are African Americans.

In Illinois, according to statistics provided by the Department of Health, blacks account for about 40% of all deaths from coronavirus, while they make up only 14.6% of the state’s population. In Michigan, African Americans account for 40% of all reported deaths from the virus, and blacks in the state’s population are just 14%.

In Chicago, African Americans die from coronavirus six times more often than whites. So, in the city, 72% of those killed by COVID-19 are black, although they make up only 30% of the population.

African American Mayor Laurie Lightfoot said the data “provides new insights into the spread of COVID-19 and is a serious reminder of deeply rooted problems in the country.”

According to Jerome Adams, doctors have concluded that “black Americans are at a greater risk.” Together with the head of the American Medical Association, Patrice Harris, he recommended that “special attention be paid to race and ethnicity.”