African Americans in Ingham County disproportionately affected by coronavirus, health official says

Lansing State Journal

LANSING – Black people in Ingham County have been disproportionately affected by the new coronavirus.

Based on available data, known COVID-19 cases are three times as prevalent in African Americans in the county as it is in whites, county Health Officer Linda Vail said Tuesday.

That mirrors data showing higher rates among black people in the Detroit area, Michigan's epicenter for COVID-19 infections, and the rest of the country.

Vail said the data isn't surprising because black people are "frequently disproportionately affected by any number of things."

Vail cited factors including the prevalence of underlying conditions, such as diabetes, and a larger percentage of black residents living in poverty. People at the lower end of the income scale are more likely to work in service industry or gig economy jobs considered essential.

And stress could be weakening immune systems.

"Because of the racial construct in our society, there is an underlying stress level in people of color," she said during a Tuesday afternoon media briefing.

The county hopes to focus virus prevention messaging on areas with more minority and impoverished residents, Vail said. Thus far, she said the county has targeted messages to some higher-risk populations, including the homeless.

Eaton, Clinton county not releasing race breakdown

Health departments that cover Eaton and Clinton counties have not released racial breakdowns of COVID-19 cases.

"We don’t feel we have enough cases to comment at this time," said Leslie Kinney, a spokeswoman for the Mid-Michigan District Health Department, which serves Clinton, Gratiot and Montcalm counties.

If case numbers increase significantly, the Barry-Eaton District Health Department may release COVID-19 data by race and gender, a representative said.

The sex breakdown of known COVID-19 infections in Ingham County has been roughly even, with 51% of cases among males and 49% among females. Elderly people in Ingham County appear more likely to get the virus with a skew toward those over 60.

COVID-19 case numbers continue to rise

Across Michigan, at least 18,970 people have contracted the new coronavirus and 845 people have died, an increase of 1,749 cases and 118 deaths since Monday.

Ingham County is actively monitoring 221 people for the virus, Vail said Tuesday afternoon.

The state reported 189 confirmed cases in Ingham County as of 10 a.m. Tuesday, as well as 73 in Clinton County and 61 in Eaton County.

There were no new deaths reported to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services from the tri-county area Tuesday, though Vail said an Ingham County man who died at home tested positive for the virus postmortem.

Just 27 of the 189 people who have tested positive in Ingham County are hospitalized, Vail said. That's less than 15%

Another 24 have recovered, Vail said.

Confirmed cases include health professionals, first responders

There are health care workers and first responders locally who have tested positive for the coronavirus, Vail said, though she said she did not know how many.

Elsewhere in the state, some health systems are releasing data on how many of their employees have been tested for the virus and how many have tested positive, Vail said, but she "certainly wouldn't fault the ones who are deciding not to do that."

There's nothing wrong with focusing on taking care of people and letting health departments report the data, Vail said.

"We don’t want particular employers doing notification," she added. "It starts a lot of rumor mills and finger pointing."

Department is looking at models of peak

The Ingham County Health Department is looking at several models including a model from the University of Michigan to predict when novel coronavirus cases might peak in Greater Lansing.

The department may release information about localized predictions on Friday, she added.

How to prevent coronavirus

To limit the spread of the new coronavirus, wash your hands frequently and avoid contact with people outside your household, staying at least 6 feet away if possible.

Contact reporter Megan Banta at mbanta@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @MeganBanta_1.