VOA慢速英语--美国新冠死亡人数超过60万，种族不平等现象依然存在

Jerry Ramos spent his final days in a California hospital, connected to an oxygen machine to help him fight COVID-19. But his 3-year-old daughter was in his thoughts.

Ramos wrote on Facebook, "I have to be here to watch my princess grow up." He did not live to see it. He died on Feb. 15 at the age of 32.

The Mexican-American restaurant worker became one of the 600,000 Americans who have died from the virus so far. His death also represented the pandemic's effect on the racial and ethnic¹ inequalities in the U.S.

During the first wave of deaths in April 2020, the virus went through cities with large Black populations in the Northeast, as well as Detroit, Michigan and New Orleans in Louisiana. Black Americans were hit the hardest during that time.

During a second increase last summer, high cases of infection in the states of Texas and Florida caused Hispanics to die at the highest rate.

And during the third winter increase, the worst of all, cases were high across the entire country. The weekly death rates narrowed so much that whites were the worst off. And Hispanics closely followed.

Higher death rates for Blacks, Hispanics

Now, the virus has slowed and more people are getting vaccinated². But Blacks and Hispanics continue to die at higher rates than other groups.

An Associated Press study shows that, overall, Black and Hispanic Americans have less access to medical care and are in poorer health. They have higher rates of health conditions like diabetes³ and high blood pressure.

Blacks and Hispanics are more likely to have jobs that require their physical presence at work. They are less able to work from home. They are also more likely to live in larger households, where family members may spread the virus.

Black Americans account for 15 percent of all COVID-19 deaths where race is known. Hispanics represent 19 percent, whites 61 percent and Asian Americans 4 percent. Those numbers are close to each groups' share of the U.S. population. But a closer look at age shows a clearer picture of inequality.

Blacks and Hispanics are younger on average than whites. So it would make sense that they would die at lower rates from a disease that severely⁴ affects older populations. But that is not what is happening.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) looked at death rates, adjusting for population age differences. The CDC estimates that Native Americans, Hispanics and Blacks are two to three times more likely than whites to die of COVID-19.

The AP research also found that Hispanics, like Ramos, are dying at much younger ages than other groups.

Thirty-seven percent of Hispanic deaths were of those under 65, versus⁵ 12 percent for white Americans and 30 percent for Black people. Hispanics between 30 and 39 have died at five times the rate of white people in the same age group.

Public health experts say the nation needs to look at these differences.

Dr. Clyde Yancy is with Northwestern University's medical school. "If we want to respect the dear price that 600,000 people have paid, don't return to normal. Return to something that is better than what was," he said.

Blacks and Hispanics are also behind whites when it comes to vaccination⁶ rates, said Samantha Artiga of the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Experts say this is due to several factors. Many Black Americans distrust the medical profession because of a history of discriminatory treatment. Among Hispanics, there is a fear of deportation⁸ and a language barrier for many.

Money could be a problem, Artiga said. "Losing a day or two of wages can have real consequences for your family. People are facing tough decisions like that."

With incomplete⁹ data, it is less clear who is dying now. But a racial gap appears to be growing again. In the state of Michigan, Black people are 14 percent of the population. But they have accounted for 25 percent of the 1,064 deaths reported in the past four weeks. Similar gaps were seen in Florida and Pennsylvania.

On Monday, U.S. President Joe Biden said that while new cases and deaths are dropping in the U.S., "there's still too many lives being lost." He added, "now is not the time to let our guard down."

Words in This Story

access– n. a way of being able to use or get something

adjust– v. to change (something) in a minor¹⁰ way so that it works better

dear– adj. loved or valued very much

factor– n. something that helps produce or influence a result : one of the things that cause something to happen

deport⁷ – v. to force (a person who is not a citizen) to leave a country

consequence – n. something that happens as a result of a particular action or set of conditions

let (one) guard down – idiom. to lower one's level of caution or carefulness

1 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

2 vaccinated   

[医]已接种的，种痘的，接种过疫菌的

参考例句：

• I was vaccinated against tetanus. 我接种了破伤风疫苗。
• Were you vaccinated against smallpox as a child? 你小时候打过天花疫苗吗？

3 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

4 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

5 versus   

prep.以…为对手，对；与…相比之下

参考例句：

• The big match tonight is England versus Spain.今晚的大赛是英格兰对西班牙。
• The most exciting game was Harvard versus Yale.最富紧张刺激的球赛是哈佛队对耶鲁队。

6 vaccination   

n.接种疫苗，种痘

参考例句：

• Vaccination is a preventive against smallpox.种痘是预防天花的方法。
• Doctors suggest getting a tetanus vaccination every ten years.医生建议每十年注射一次破伤风疫苗。

7 deport   

vt.驱逐出境

参考例句：

• We deport aliens who slip across our borders.我们把偷渡入境的外国人驱逐出境。
• More than 240 England football fans are being deported from Italy following riots last night.昨晚的骚乱发生后有240多名英格兰球迷被驱逐出意大利。

8 deportation   

n.驱逐，放逐

参考例句：

• The government issued a deportation order against the four men.政府发出了对那4名男子的驱逐令。
• Years ago convicted criminals in England could face deportation to Australia.很多年以前，英国已定罪的犯人可能被驱逐到澳大利亚。

9 incomplete   

adj.不完全的，不完善的

参考例句：

• The building was left incomplete.那座楼没有完工就停下来了。
• His novel was incomplete when he died.他死的时候他的小说没有写完。

10 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。