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  • at the president's direction.

  • Yesterday I met with 2000 Hispanic leaders from their communities and today and the vice president led a phone call that I was on with hundreds of African American leaders concluding the Reverend Jesse Jackson, including Derek Johnson of the N Double A C P, including the National Medical Association and the Black Nurses Association, to talk about some of the alarming trends were observing regarding the impact of covert 19 on community of the color and you've heard the stats in New York City.

  • Hispanics represent the majority of desk in Milwaukee County black 25% of the population but almost 50% of the cases in 75% of the deaths, huh?

  • So what's going on?

  • Well, it's alarming, but it's not surprising that people of color have a greater burden to chronic health conditions.

  • African American Native Americans, excuse me, develop high blood pressure, much younger ages, and so that's likely to be under control and does greater harm to their organs.

  • Puerto Ricans have higher rates of asthma and black boys or three times as likely to die of Adama's, their white counterparts.

  • As a matter of fact, I've been carrying around an inhaler in my pocket for 40 years out of fear of having a fatal asthma attack.

  • And I hope that showing you this inhaler shows little kids with asthma all across the country that they can grow up to be surgeon general one day.

  • But I Maurin immediately share it so that everyone knows that doesn't matter if you look fit.

  • If you look too young, you were still at risk for getting and spreading and dying from Corona virus.

  • The chronic burden of medical bills is likely to make people of color especially less resilient to the ravages of covert 19 and if possibly in fact likely that the burden of social ills is also contributing.

  • Social distancing and teleworking we know were critical, and you've heard Dr Berkson doctor felt you talk about how they prevent the spread of Corona virus.

  • Yet only one in five African Americans and one and six Hispanics has a job that lets them work from home people of color and more likely to live in densely packed areas and in multigenerational housing, which situations which create higher rift for spread of a highly contagious disease like cove in 19 we tell people to wash their hands, but a study showed 30% of the homes are Navajo Nation Don't have running water.

  • So how were they going to do that?

  • And some three people of color experience both more likely exposure to covert 19 and increased complications from it.

  • But let me be crystal clear.

  • We do not think people of color are biologically or genetically predisposed to get Cove in 19.

  • There is nothing inherently wrong with you, but they are socially predisposed a corona virus disposed exposure and to have a higher incidence of the very diseases that puts you at risk for severe complications of Corona virus.

  • But as the vice president shared on the call this morning, this history and I want you to hear me say this.

  • It does not have to be our nation's future.

  • We're taking steps now in the midst of the covert 19 pandemic to reach, protect and strengthen all communities impacted by this disease and especially our communities of color.

  • More details will be forthcoming, but we're actively working of the vice president of the CDC director laid out today.

  • Data collection targeted outreach to communities of color and increasing financial, employment, education, housing, social and health supports so that everybody has an equal chance to be healthy.

  • Hi, everyone.

  • George Stephanopoulos here.

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  • Thanks for watching.

at the president's direction.

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