July 15, 2020
Black, Hispanic residents hit disproportionately by coronavirus in Worcester County
Image | U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, The New York Times
Black and Hispanic residents have suffered far greater rates of coronavirus cases in Worcester County compared to their share of the population.
By Grant Welker
Black and Hispanic residents in Worcester County have been infected by coronavirus at proportions multitudes higher than white residents, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In Worcester County, Black residents have rates of contracting coronavirus more than four times higher than white residents, and Hispanic residents' rates more than triple white residents, according to the federal data, which was analyzed and reported by The New York Times after the news outlet sued the agency for the information.
Black residents also had the highest proportionate share of cases in Middlesex, Hampden, Norfolk and Plymouth counties, and Hispanic residents had the worst share in Suffolk County, which is home to Boston, and Bristol County, which includes Fall River and New Bedford, according to the data.
The data covers a period of time through late May, about a month after cases in Massachusetts peaked. Massachusetts was one of few states to provide such ethnic data for those who've contracted the virus. Ethnic data was available for 70% of infections in Worcester County. Nearly 90% of Worcester County's cases so far have fallen in the period of time covered by the CDC data.
Black and Hispanic residents also suffer disportionately high rates of the virus nationally. Latino residents account for 73 cases per 10,000 nationally, Black residents account for 62 cases per 10,000, and white residents 23 per 10,000, the Times reported, using the term Latino instead of Hispanic for national data. California and Texas, the two most populous states and places with large Hispanic populations, were not included in the national accounting.
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