Racial disparities during COVID point to underlying problems

Even before the pandemic, public health leaders knew there were wide disparities in health care for people of color. But COVID-19 brought that into sharp focus.

Research by the APM Research Lab found Indigenous, Black and Pacific Islander Americans experienced the highest death tolls from COVID-19. Conversely, those same groups are getting immunized against the disease at lower rates. The vaccination rate for Black Americans is about half that for white Americans. The vaccination rate for Latinos is even lower.

Given these numbers, scientists are re-examining their medical and research ethics and procedures for people of color. Earlier this month, the University of Minnesota’s Consortium on Law and Values held a conference to discuss some of the most urgent questions surrounding these issues. 

Thursday, we aired a frank discussion between MPR News host Kerri Miller and a speaker at that event — one of the nation’s leading experts in racial health disparities.

Guest:

• Stephen Thomas is the director of the Maryland Center for Health Equity.

To listen to the full conversation you can use the audio player above.

Subscribe to the MPR News with Kerri Miller podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or RSS.