People line up to receive food and goods distributed by volunteers in Chelsea, Massachusetts on April 14, 2020. Chelsea has the second-highest Latino population in the state. Photo: Joseph Prezioso / AFP
The coronavirus is spreading at more than double the rate of the rest of the U.S. in counties that are at least a quarter Hispanic, a New York Times analysis out Friday indicates.
Why it matters: Many Latinos continued working as states shuttered businesses, keeping the economy running "at the cutting tables of food-processing plants, as farm hands, as hospital orderlies, food preparers, supermarket workers and in many other jobs deemed essential," The Times writes.
By the numbers: Counties across U.S. whose population is at least a quarter Latino have seen a 32% spike in new cases over the last two weeks, compared to a 15% increase for all other counties.
- The analysis substantiates the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's tally indicating Latinos are disproportionately affected by the virus, making up 34% of cases nationwide, despite being 18% of the population.
Worth noting: There is no evidence that any ethnic or racial group is biologically more susceptible to the virus.
Zoom in: While the analysis showed strong disparities in infections in populous states like Texas and California, there were also differences in other parts of the country, the Times notes.
- In North Carolina, Latinos make up 10% of the population, but 46% of infections.
- In Wisconsin, Latinos constitute 7% of the population, but 33% of cases.
- Yakima County, Washington, which had the state's worst outbreak, is about half Latino.
- Santa Cruz County, Arizona, the center of the state's worst outbreak, is 84% Latino.
Go deeper: Coronavirus racial disparities are worse than we thought