Sacoby Wilson comments on Social Factors of COVID-19 Pandemic Impacts on Prince Georgian's Health on Capital Gazette
Rachael Pacella, an Environmental reporter writing for the Capital Gazette, just published an article addressing the disproportionate impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on Marylanders, as according to the Maryland Department of Health, up until this Wednesday, April 15th, there have been 349 confirmed deaths in the state, and of those Marylanders 40% were black and 31% were white. In Maryland 59% of the population is white and 31% is black, per U.S. Census data.
Faculty Associate Sacoby Wilson, an associate professor from the School of Public Health focusing on environmental justice who is also a member of Maryland Center for Health Equity, addresses those black residents living particularly in Prince George County, as it bears the most coronavirus cases among all other counties in Maryland, "Because you don’t have the fuel, the right nutrition to help, you’re at greater risk of mortality due to the infection." Environmental justice is one factor to look at, Wilson added, "Some communities of color are transected by highways or near other air pollution sources, making the environment itself unhealthy to live in."