Ohio senator asks during hearing why ‘colored population’ is hit harder by COVID-19
A Republican state senator in Ohio asked if “the colored population” is hit harder by COVID-19 because they “do not wash their hands as well as other groups.”
Ohio Sen. Steve Huffman asked the question Tuesday during a hearing on whether to declare racism a public health crisis, the Dayton Daily News reported.
“We know it’s twice as often, correct? Could it just be that African Americans — the colored population — do not wash their hands as well as other groups?” Huffman asked. “Or wear a mask? Or do not socially distance themselves? Could that just be maybe the explanation of why there’s a higher incidence?”
Angela Dawson, executive director of the Ohio Commission on Minority Health, told Huffman that it is “not the opinion of leading medical experts in this country,” according to The Columbus Dispatch.
African Americans have been hit especially hard by the coronavirus pandemic, McClatchy News reported. They account for more than 30% of those who have died from COVID-19, despite making up only 13% of the U.S. population.
A lack of access to quality health care, insurance and essential resources, and underlying health conditions put people of color in the U.S. at a higher risk for coronavirus, according to McClatchy News.
Ohio Legislative Black Caucus President Stephanie Howse said Huffman’s comment represents systemic racism, the Dayton Daily News reported.
“He highlights what racism is from a systematic perspective. He’s a full legislator but beyond that, professionally, he’s a doctor,” Howse told the news outlet. “When we talk about the health disparities that happen because black folks aren’t believed when they’re actually hurt, they aren’t given the treatment that they need.”
Huffman later issued an apology, saying he asked the question the wrong way, according to The Dispatch.
This story was originally published June 10, 2020 at 7:04 PM with the headline "Ohio senator asks during hearing why ‘colored population’ is hit harder by COVID-19 ."