Austin’s Latino and African-American populations are overrepresented among residents hospitalized with the coronavirus, according to public health data presented Tuesday to both Travis County and Austin city leaders.
Latinos, who make up about 34% of the city’s population, represented 62.1% of all hospitalizations related to COVID-19, the disease linked to the coronavirus, last week; African-Americans made up 12.1% of those in the hospital.
Latinos also have about a 24% positive testing rate, which is higher than any other Austin population, according to CommUnityCare data.
“It will be our communities of color that bear the brunt of this pandemic and we need to be proactive and make sure that we put equitable systems in place and have an equitable planning process,” said Adrienne Sturrup, assistant director at Austin Public Health.
Ensuring transportation to bring residents to drive-thru COVID-19 testing sites and boosting outreach that is targeted and culturally relevant to minority communities are among the strategies needed to address racial inequities during the pandemic, according to Austin’s Equity Office.
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Latino leaders this week called for the City Council to create a Latino Action Coalition or task force to devise a mitigation plan. Four council members on Monday sent a letter to Gov. Greg Abbott asking for the state’s help in addressing the disproportionate effect the coronavirus has had on Latinos in Texas.
The letter states that although Austin has taken action to address the disparities, such as creating a fund to support low-income families, the need still exists. “Our public health experts have confirmed that this is mainly because Latinos and people of color are overwhelmingly working on the front lines,” according to the letter.
Expanding Medicaid and asking Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to drop a lawsuit blocking paid sick time policies are among the actions some council members are requesting.
“Inaction to protect our frontline workers,” leaders said in the letter, “will result in predictable consequences, including loss of life.”
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