Karen Bass: “A few days after the last bill became law, stories began to surface of an extreme disproportionate death rate among…”

“A few days after the last bill became law, stories began to surface of an extreme disproportionate death rate among African Americans in several cities, with a 70 percent death rate, while African Americans are only 20 to 30 percent of the population. Some cite underlying health conditions as the reason for the extreme disproportionate death rate, as though this is a reason that nothing can be done, as though we have to just accept this for now. This bill begins the process of addressing the disproportionate death rate, but oversight and advocacy from Congress and the public will still be needed. The bill calls for a report to be issued in 21 days, where we should have a better picture of what is happening and, hopefully, provide a roadmap. The bill calls for reporting data on demographics including race, on the number and rates of cases, hospitalization, and deaths from COVID. When the report is made public, it will be clear that communities with large African American populations will require focused and concentrated testing with rapid results, that contact tracing and early and aggressive treatment will be required, and that hospitals should reevaluate how they make decisions regarding who has access to ventilators. Using formulas that decide based on who they believe has a better chance of survival will undoubtedly hurt African Americans and contribute to the disproportionate death rate.…”