For Black Americans, Covid-19 is a reminder of the racism of US healthcare | Keon L Gilbert, Ruqaiijah Yearby, Amber Johnson and Kira Banks

A disproportionate number of the 500,000 Americans who have died of coronavirus are people of color

For Black Americans, Covid-19 is another brutal reminder of the racist legacy of the American healthcare system. A disproportionate number of the 500,000 Americans who have died of coronavirus are Black. Yet African Americans and other people of color have struggled to access vaccines.

Racism corrupts every facet of the US healthcare system. Discriminatory practices barred the entry of Black candidates into medical, nursing, dental, pharmacy and other professional healthcare programs. Segregated medical facilities and unjust treatment within medical facilities continue to plague Black patients.