Community-based coronavirus testing at four sites in St. Paul and Minneapolis following demonstrations protesting the death of George Floyd has revealed stark racial disparities in who is contracting COVID-19.
People of color accounted for about 40 percent of those who were tested, but they represented 90 percent of the positive test results, state health officials said Wednesday. White residents tested positive 0.2 percent of the time while Black residents were positive 1.3 percent, Asians 5 percent and Latinos 7.4 percent.
Nearly 13,000 people have been tested at the four community sites over the past few weeks. Not all test results have been returned, but positivity rates have generally been at or below the statewide seven-day average positivity rate of 3.3 percent.
Kris Ehresmann, director of the infectious disease division for the Minnesota Department of Health, said there was no known biological reason that some racial groups were more likely to contract the coronavirus than others.
The disparities are most likely caused by differences in exposure risks in their daily lives, she said. Essentially, Minnesotans of color have jobs and living conditions that make them more likely to come into contact with the coronavirus.
“These data reinforce concerns we have expressed before about the uneven nature of COVID as it relates to people of color,” Ehresmann said. “Not because of any biological issue. Rather, due to differences in things like underlying health conditions and job-related exposure risk.”
State health officials are working to address those disparities in several ways, including by making testing more easily available in communities of color, Ehresmann said.
Statewide coronavirus statistics by race and ethnicity also show stark disparities. Consider:
- Blacks account for about 7 percent of all Minnesotans and 21 percent of coronavirus cases.
- About 5.5 percent of Minnesotans are Latino, but 23 percent of coronavirus cases are among Latinos.
- Asians make up 5 percent of the state population and 7.5 percent of coronavirus infections.
- Minnesota is 80 percent white, and 38 percent of coronavirus cases are among white residents.
- The race and ethnicity of about 17 percent of cases are unknown or missing.
Minnesota’s coronavirus outbreak continued to show some semblance of stability Wednesday with five more deaths and 304 new cases reported by the state Department of Health.
The state’s death toll has reached 1,397, and there are 33,763 laboratory-confirmed cases statewide. Every county except Lake of the Woods has at least one confirmed case.
Those whose deaths were reported Wednesday ranged in age from their 50s to their 90s. Two of the five were residents of long-term care facilities.
Since the outbreak began, the median age of those who have been diagnosed with the coronavirus is about 39 years old. The median age of those who’ve died is 83.
There are 29,707 patients who have recovered enough they no longer need to be isolated. There are 340 hospitalized and 160 in critical condition.
Ehresmann also expressed concern Wednesday for the growing number of new infections among people in their 20s in the Mankato area in south central Minnesota. Many of those who have tested positive recently reported visiting several bars before contracting the coronavirus.
A number of those newly infected young people worked in child care or health care, Ehresmann said. She emphasized the need for people to wear masks and social distance whenever possibly while out in public.
“The impact may be less for these age groups, but it has the potential to have secondary transmission to other parts of the community and individuals who may be at greater risk,” she said.
