Similarity in Discussions
The coronavirus outbreak is affecting all strata of the global population, but it is evident that some communities are at a higher risk. Since the first COVID-19 cases, it has been known that older individuals die at higher rates than the younger population. Age remains the determining factor due to a variety of reasons, including a weaker immune system and the presence of other chronic conditions in older people. Various news agencies and health institutions agree on the fact that ethnic and racial minorities are at a higher risk of dying because of the coronavirus. The exact reasons why the impact is disproportionate for Asians, African Americans, and other ethnic groups are not yet known (“Coronavirus”). However, systemic issues of racism and prejudice, which are the root causes of a long chain of unfavorable results, might be the reason (DiAngelo 55). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provide data that show a higher proportion of African Americans and other racial and ethnic minorities among individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 (“COVID-19 in Minority Groups”). This overrepresentation of marginalized communities can be due to systemic issues such as structural racism and segregation.
How Vulnerable Communities Are Being Impacted
There are three ways the virus is disproportionately impacting the vulnerable communities. Data from the CDC suggest that African Americans are overrepresented in patients with lab-confirmed COVID-19 diagnoses. According to the latest report, 33% of hospitalized individuals are blacks. Although the number may seem lower than the percentage of hospitalized white individuals, it is imperative to remember the fact that there the population of whites is denser. In terms of death rates, the situation is even more alarming – 92.3 deaths per 100 000 population have been documented among blacks (“COVID-19 in Minority Groups”). To compare, this number is only 45.2 among whites and 34.5 among Asians (“COVID-19 in Minority Groups”). Other vulnerable communities have felt a slightly different impact. For instance, 25% of all Hispanic employees in the United States work in the service industry, and this number is only 16% among non-Hispanic whites (“COVID-19 in Minority Groups”). Due to the shutdown, these employees lost their jobs and facing more challenging times in terms of household finances.
Why Economy Should Be Reopened
Economic implications of the shutdown are the primary reason why the economy should be reopened. Hundreds of millions of people around the world have lost their jobs and have no source of income (Yan). A strange dilemma occurs – people will have to choose between the risks of getting infected by a coronavirus and the likelihood of struggling with poverty (Yan). People need to feed themselves, and therefore, the economy should reopen. Another reason is the perceived inefficacy of social distancing. People have spent months staying at home only to see the number of COVID-19 cases increase (Yan). It is reasonable to believe that social distancing is not an option, and the government should consider different ways of restraining the virus. The last reason why the economy should reopen is that the world cannot stay home forever. The only solution to the coronavirus issue is the discovery of vaccine or attainment of collective immunity.
Why Shutdown Should Continue
For each of the arguments for reopening the economy, there is a counter-argument. Although poverty has been facilitated by the coronavirus pandemic and resulting economic shutdown, the continuation of economic activities should not be considered as the only option for battling poverty. Poverty has existed for centuries, and the tremendous economic developments could not solve the problem. Therefore, global poverty has other root causes which need to be addressed. The second reason is that, although there have been no significant decreases in the number of COVID-19 cases after shutting down, scientists suggest that social distancing has helped to contain the number under moderate levels (Yan). Experts believe that reopening could result in massive dispersal of the virus, only worsening the situation (Yan). In other words, making haste and being quick to reopen the economy may result in more drastic long-term outcomes. People need to be patient and wait until scientists develop a vaccine against the coronavirus.
Impact on Different Genders
The gender-related impact of COVID-19 has not been addressed adequately by governments and health institutions around the world. However, it is known that women have often been at more unfavorable conditions (Fausto-Sterling 67). The number of cases among women and men does not feature any significant differences. However, the data from both the CDC and Wenham et al. suggests that men are more vulnerable to the disease and have higher death rates (846). The researchers propose that underlying immunological differences between men and women are the primary reason why men die because of COVID-10 at higher frequencies (Wenham et al. 847). Also, the smoking habits of men and the higher prevalence of other health issues may contribute to the COVID-19’s unfavorable impact (Wenham et al. 846). The situation is not the same in all countries and industries, however. For instance, 90% of healthcare workers in Hubei are women (Wenham et al. 846). It means that women are at a higher risk of getting infected than men.
Works Cited
“Coronavirus: Risk of Death is Higher for Ethnic Minorities.” BBC, 2020, Web.
“COVID-19 in Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020, Web.
DiAngelo, Robin J. “My Class Didn’t Trump My Race: Using Oppression to Face Privilege.” Multicultural Perspectives, vol. 8, no. 1, 2006, pp. 51-56.
Fausto-Sterling, Anne. “Gender, Race, and Nation.” Skin Deep, Spirit Strong: The Black Female Body in American Culture, edited by Kimberly Wallace-Sanders, University of Michigan Press, 2002, pp. 66-96.
Wenham, Clare, Julia Smith, and Rosemary Morgan. “COVID-19: The Gendered Impacts of the Outbreak.” The Lancet, vol. 395, no. 10227, 2020, pp. 846-848.
Yan, Holly. “5 Common Arguments for Reopening the Economy.” CNN, 2020, Web.