COVID-19 Among Latinos in Oregon: Another epidemic finds an environment of risk where Latinos get hit hard from all directions.

UPDATED ON 08/07/2020

Latinos in Oregon have a 442% increase in risk of getting COVID-19 compared to white Oregonians.

COVID-19 has impacted every corner of the planet. In the U.S., most people with common sense have followed the calls for social-distance, wearing masks, and staying at home. As I mentioned on my post about the impact of COVID-19 among American Indian/Alaska Natives in New Mexico, many people, including leaders, artists, community activists, and public officials, have said “We’re all in this together” and “we have to go back to normal.” But, for Latinos and other communities of color in the U.S., the pre-Covid-19 situation was far from normal. Communities of color have endured centuries of oppression and social injustice that has led to present-day social and health disparities.

Now that the COVID-19 pandemic has made us realize that we are all in this together, let’s take a look at Oregon’s social and health disparities that have been developing prior to the arrival of the Coronavirus. Latinos and other communities of color carry a much higher burden of poverty, poor health, and chronic diseases. These ongoing epidemics work synergistically to create environments of risk where old and novel virus find the ideal conditions to thrive and proliferate.

August 7, 2020.