The News & Observer, November 24, Residents of NC’s redlined neighborhoods have higher COVID-19 risk, study shows
People living in Durham neighborhoods that were racially redlined in the early to mid 1900s have a higher COVID-19 risk than people in neighborhoods that weren’t discriminated against, according to a study by the National Community Reinvestment Coalition.
The study found people in these predominantly Black neighborhoods are more likely to have conditions like high blood pressure, asthma and obesity that make the coronavirus more deadly.
Nearly half of the 111 deaths from COVID-19 in Durham County have been among Black people, despite African Americans making up around 37% of the county’s population. Statewide, 29% of deaths have been among Black people, despite African Americans making up around 22% of the state’s population.
