California Latinos getting COVID at alarming rates
Latinos in San Joaquin County, the Sacramento area and throughout California — a population that experts say is more likely to be working on the front lines of “essential” professions outside the home — are falling ill to coronavirus at a higher rate than any other ethnic group.
The alarming trend in Sacramento, where more than half of recent cases are among Latino residents, combined with instances of COVID-19 spreading in homes among families has prompted county officials to say they need to refocus on reaching ethnic groups where they live. That includes mask distribution and public warnings on local health orders in multiple languages.
“We need to have adequate info in all languages,” said county health director Dr. Peter Beilenson. “In addition to that, we have to hammer home that family gatherings are not safe, at least at this stage . ... Gatherings outdoors must be socially distanced and must be small.”
More than 350 Latino residents in Sacramento County have been diagnosed with coronavirus since mid-May, according to data from the county’s public health department.
That’s about 99 new cases per 100,000 Latino residents during that time period, compared to 81 new cases per 100,000 Blacks, 30 new cases per 100,000 Asians and 28 new cases per 100,000 whites.
Across California, Latinos have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19 — more than 42,000 Latinos have been diagnosed with the coronavirus since mid-May, according to the state Department of Public Health. Latinos make up the majority of Californians, ages 18 to 64, who have died from the virus.
In San Joaquin County, Latinos made up 43.9% of all confirmed cases since the county began tracking. Though this is only slightly higher than that community’s share of the county’s population — 41.1% — racial data is not available for more than 30% of the cases in the county.
Comparatively, Asian Americans make up 6.9% of the county’s cases and 14.% of the population; Black residents make up 3.5% of the county’s cases and 6.6% of the population; and residents of European descent account for 12.1% of cases and 32.7% of the county population.
Advocates worry that the number of Latinos affected by the coronavirus has been vastly undercounted throughout the state. About one in three cases reported in California don’t include racial demographic information. The ethnic identity of about 20% of cases in Sacramento are also unknown.
Public health officials and advocates say a variety of factors are contributing to the troubling surge in cases.
“The disparities that existed preCOVID, gaps, have just gotten deeper,” said Dr. Cesar Castaneda, mental health administrator at La Familia Counseling Center in Sacramento. “The needs of our families have been greater.”
Essential workers at risk
Dr. Seciah Aquino, deputy director at the Latino Collation for a Healthy California, said she isn’t surprised to see the statewide spike in cases.
“Latinos are more likely to be working in occupations deemed as essential, working on the front lines — in farming, in meat packing, in retail, at grocery stories,” Aquino said.
The ability to stay home and quarantine “is not a reality for many Latino households providing for others,” she said. “And when they’re coming back home from work, they’re exposing their families as well.”
“If workers have to make a decision between staying home and protecting themselves, and feeding their family, they’re going to feed their families,” United Farm Workers Foundation spokeswoman Leydy Rangel said.
Scientists and epidemiologists are still learning about the coronavirus, but experts agree that extended exposure to an infected individual in close quarters is one of the most common ways the virus is transmitted.
That means more people living under the same roof who cannot isolate from one another might be particularly vulnerable to catching and spreading the virus. About 40% of Latino households in the four-county Sacramento region have at least four people living in the home, compared with about 22% of other households, the latest census figures show.
In Placer County, which has also seen an increase in cases among the Latino community, transmission between family members has been a driving cause of infections. In the city of Lincoln, there have been as many as 10 family members all living in the same household who have ultimately tested positive.
Moreover, reports of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents picking up individuals and growing anti-immigrant sentiment during the pandemic has led to a “chilling effect,” Aquino said. Some Latinos are afraid to get tested for the virus or seek medical treatment, she said. Others just don’t know where to get practical information on how to stay safe.