One doesn't have to look that far, in fact. Manhattan is more dense than the Bronx and yet people from the Bronx are far more likely to die from COVID-19 (nearly 300% more likely, to be precise). Why? They live in significantly worse conditions, cannot afford healthier lifestyles, healthcare is barely available compared to wealthier, majority-white neighbourhoods. Analogies can be seen in Detroit, Chicago or New Orleans, among others, where poor neighbourhoods fall to the virus first, becoming hubs for entire cities.
Overall health. With fewer resources and worse access to quality nutrition and healthcare, African Americans are the most likely to get asthma, obesity or diabetes, all of which increase the risk of developing a severe case of COVID-19. With fewer medical checks and overal distrust of the medical community, black Americans may also have many underlying conditions they may not be aware of.
With all this in mind, coronavirus may further destabilise the African American and Hispanic communities, pushing even more people into poverty. People forced to hospitalisation by COVID-19 may be left with bills that entire families could be unable to cover, especially at a time when millions have already lost jobs and are unable to pay rents, even though we're yet to go through a full months since the outbreak.
