Trends show that in the US and the UK, the pandemic is disproportionately hitting Black and racialized communities, revealing that a Black person is twice as likely to get and die from COVID-19. This sounds an alarm for Canada, where claims of colour-blind health care and approaches to the COVID-19 pandemic are concerning. The death of Leonard Rodriques—a Black personal support worker who was sent home from the hospital despite debilitating COVID-19 symptoms—led to calls from health workers across Ontario asking for anti-Black racism to be declared a public health emergency and for the immediate collection of race-based data in the province and the country. In today’s episode, the Star’s science and technology reporter Kate Allen talks to Saba Eitizaz about why race-based data is necessary to find out how the virus is affecting racialized communities, and the impact of not having this information. Listen here or subscribe at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts.

Source: thestar June 05, 2020 19:52 UTC