Latinos and Spanish-speakers are disproportionately contracting COVID-19 in Sacramento, according to recent data by the county health department.
Since March, the county has classified nearly 600 cases as from “Hispanic” residents, making up a third of the county’s overall coronavirus numbers. This is despite the fact that Latinos make up just a little under a quarter of the county’s population, according to the most recent census data, and that more than a quarter of cases don’t have a reported race.
“The disproportionate rates of infection we’re seeing are merely the symptoms of a much larger underlying issue,” said Seciah Aquino, deputy director for the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California. “We actually shouldn’t be surprised that communities of color who have been systematically disenfranchised are now experiencing higher rates of disease. “When we think about the quarantine and being able to stay at home, that is not a privilege that many Latinos can afford.”
