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LETTER: Transparency is first step in recognizing inequality

It is time for the provincial and federal governments to collect and make public racial statistics on the impact of COVID-19, a letter writer urges
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File photo/Greg King for NewmarketToday

The COVID-19 pandemic and the protests for racial inequality have been at the forefront of public discussion and media headlines. However, these two topics are not entirely separate social issues. Police brutality and direct violence are not the only way society have been failing the Black communities; systemic racism manifests itself in various facets of society. Racism can be subtle but nonetheless fatal.

To examine the issue, I collected data regarding the racial breakdown of COVID-19 in the U.S. Among the 20 most populous states, 16 states have exhibited significant racial disparities between the most vulnerable Black community and white community. Most notably, the Black community in Wisconsin is dying at a level eight times than their percentage of the population. In states such as Tennessee, Pennsylvania, and Missouri, the Black community is dying at a rate three times their percentage of the population.

These statistics came as a shock for me because I realized racial inequalities expand beyond the sphere of violence; inequality makes the COVID-19 pandemic extremely unfair. With this realization, I started searching for statistics for the demographic breakdown of COVID-19 deaths in Canada. I was appalled to see, as a nation claiming to be “doing better than our neighbours”, there are no publicized statistics regarding the racial breakdown of COVID-19 deaths.

Only recently, on June 16, Ontario has made it mandatory for the government to start collecting racial information. I believe this is problematic for two major reasons: Transparency to the public is pivotal, especially in times of crisis; and the government has a duty to report all information to the public.

The people have a right to  access all the information and assess for themselves if inequality exists. The lack of information hinders the public’s ability to make accurate judgments on the current status of different racial groups. Therefore, I strongly urge all local and national governments to publicize all statistics for the benefit of researchers, experts and general public.

Information is critical to policy change and decision making. Understanding the proportionality of impact of COVID-19 on different racial groups can benefit policy change significantly. For example, research shows there is a strong correlation between race and hypertension. Therefore, local governments can allocate medical resources based on vulnerability to infection.

Communities with lower socioeconomic status also suffer significant risks as they work in major transportation, production and service sectors, thus increasing their chances of infections. The CDC also reports African Americans account for 30 per cent of licensed vocational nurses, while only constituting 12 per cent of the total employment-population.

The increased awareness and acknowledgement of racial inequalities can be critical in organizing test sites, medical resources, and government funds. However, none of these solutions are feasible without the publication of all the relevant information.

I strongly urge the provincial and federal governments of Ontario to collect and release racial statistics on COVID-19. 

The George Floyd incident has drawn public attention to the issue of systemic racism especially youth. However, social change goes beyond protests; tangible change needs to be made in all facets of society to serve ordinary citizens suffering under this unjust system. The potential for change starts from the access and transparency of critical statistics. It is time for the government to be transparent and make racial statistics of COVID-19 public.

Amber Chen, Richmond Hill