According to Dr. Anthony Fuci, there is a silver lining when it comes to COVID-19. I, for one, can not see how this is possible, and that anything good could come of this pandemic. Having spread like a forest wildfire across the entire continent, not to mention the globe, 149,000 lives have been taken in the US alone.
So, when Dr. Fauci attests to the fact that there is a silver lining, it will understandably make one perk up and take notice. "Perhaps," Fauci offers in an interview on BET, "if there is one silver lining in the outbreak, it is to focus with a laser beam on the disparities in health that we've got to change."
Although there are few age groups or geographic areas in the country that hasn't been touched or impacted by the virus, the one community experiencing significantly higher rates of reported coronavirus is that of the black community.
According to the last national census, findings showed there are six times as many white people in the US than there are black people. However, studies have shown that the rate of those confirmed with coronavirus is dramatically higher in the overall black communities.
As detailed on an interactive map, created by the NY Times, there are an estimated 62 cases of reported coronavirus infections per 100,000 black individuals in the country.
While, in comparison, there are reports of approximately 23 cases for white individuals in each 100,000. The Latinx community is the only one that shows a higher rate of recorded transmission, with 72 cases out of every 100.000 individuals.
These figures are what prompts Fauci to lay claim to a silver lining. He believes these shocking numbers will aid in increasing overall awareness that minorities have and currently are facing in our nation—and that, in the long run, this could prove to be a good thing.
Understanding and acknowledging the numbers presented will work towards better awareness about the healthcare system's struggles that are specific to those minority communities.
It is, according to Fauci, that public awareness of the effect that the coronavirus pandemic is having on minority communities, in both the clinics and hospitals, is crucial when discussing the saving of those lives.
Do you believe that there is a silver lining to this pandemic, as Fauci does?