Minorities Make Up High Numbers of Cases

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OKLAHOMA AND ACROSS THECOUNTRY.

HEALTH EXPERTS SAYMINORITIES MAKE UP ADISPROPORTIONATEly HIGHNUMBER OF CASES.

2 WORKS FORYOU'S VINCENT HILL SHOWS usHOW IT AFFECTS THOSE HERE INGREEN COUNTRY.ACCORDING TO THE STATEDEPARTMENT OF HEALTH.

264AFRICAN AMERICANS HAVECORONAVIRUS in Oklahoma.

THELOW NUMBER SEEMSENCOURAGING.

BUT HEALTHEXPERTS SAY OTHERWISE.ACTUAL DATA MAY NOT BEREFLECTED BECAUSE OF A LACKOF TESTING."People may have barrierslike the inability to get toa testing site that'sconvenient to them.

And sowe have to kind of breakdown some of thosebarriers." OU'S WAYMANTISDALE CLINICPROVIDES FREE TESTING FORTHOSE IN NEED.

DR DENNISSAYS ITSIMPORTANT... BECAUSE THEAFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITYIS especially SUSCEPTIBLE TOCATCHING CORONAVIRUS."Black people being morehighly represented in termsof people in poverty.

Havingmore chronic conditions likehypertension, diabetes,obesity.

That certainly isputting people at higherrisk for complications fromCOVID-19." SHE SAYS IT'SNOT JUST CATCHING THEVIRUS.

BUT ALSO DYING FROMIT."There is a slightly higherrepresentation of those whoare dying from COVID-19 inOklahoma compared to ratesof people who have thedisease."A NATIONAL STUDY BY THEAMERICAN FOUNDATION FOR AIDSRESEARCH SAYSAFRICAN AMERICANS MAKE UP 58PERCENT OF THE NATIONALDEATH RATE.

TULSA CITYCOUNCILOR VANESSAHALL-HARPER IS AWARE OF THENATIONAL CONCERN.

BUT SAYSTULSA IS STEPS AHEAD."Of course I'm familiar withall the stories that's goingon nationally, in thelarger cities with largerpopulations ofAfrican Amerians.

But Ithink and I'm proud of thefact that we are doing abetter job of that here inTulsa."SHE SAYS ACCESSIBLE TESTINGHAS BEEN MADE AVAILABLE INHERDISTRICT.

BUT UNDERSTANDSSOME STILL MIGHT HAVEPROBLEMS GETTING THERE."If transportation is thatproblem, if you can't get aride, then reach out.

Reachout to your city councilor,your elected official ifthat's possible.

So we thencan have those issuesaddressed." DR DENNIS SAYSPOSSIBLE UPCOMING CHANGESMAY HELP THOSE WITHOUT ARIDE."Whether that it's a mobilevan or bus that goes aroundand does testing atdifferent sites.

I think allof those things are going tocome into play." IN TULSA,VINCENT HILL 2WFY.O-U WILL BE DOING FREETESTING FOR AT LEAST THE