As a doctor who cared for Covid-19 patients at Elmhurst Hospital when we were hit hard this past spring, I know all too well that in a crisis you prioritize treatment for those who need help the most. In 2021, we are faced with the reality that Covid-19 laid bare in 2020: The pandemic has disproportionately affected New York’s black and brown populations. This trend is not unique to our community. All over the country where white neighborhoods are spared, minorities suffer. One particular place this is felt is our nation’s capital, Washington, DC.
Both of my brothers and their families have lived in DC for many years. Of the over 712,000 people who call the District home, 46 percent are African-American, a higher share than in any state. One in 900 people in DC has died from Covid, and that rate has been higher among African-Americans. Yet Congress decided to give less populous, and whiter, states two to three times the amount of Covid-19 funding that DC got.