Blacks dying from COVID in higher numbers, health officials warn
National Epidemiologist, Harmony Massiah has raised concern at the stark disparity in COVID-19 death rates among minorities and Caucasians in the United States (US).
She further sounded a warning while noting the likely impact this trend will have on the BVI.
“Right now, in the United States, in the UK, a lot of these more developed countries – it’s actually the black people and the minorities who are dying from COVID; who are not vaccinated,” Massiah said.
The issue of misinformation, which has been rampant on various social platforms since the start of the pandemic, was raised by local health officials during COVID-19 panel discussion last week.
The epidemiologist argued that a majority of children who have died in the US are also from the same minority groups.
Trends compiled by the US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) show that deaths among persons of black ethnicity, largely outpace those among persons who are Caucasian.
Anti-vaxxers preying on the fears of minorities
Massiah said anti-vaxxers generally prey on the fears of minorities; often drawing reference to past incidents as a means of deterrence from the vaccine. One such incident is the Tuskegee [Alabama] experiment which was conducted on African American men in the US, wherein victims were intentionally infected with syphilis and left to suffer.
Dubbed the ‘Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male,’ the research was a government-sponsored study that ran for decades before it was officially shut down in 1972.
As a result of the misinformation being spread, Massiah said: “What happens then is that it creates a vaccine hesitancy and that is what we are seeing throughout the Caribbean and throughout the world.”
“The majority of persons who have been getting the vaccines have been the Caucasians, even here [in the BVI],” she added.
CDC: Less than 10% of blacks fully vaccinated
CDC data also supports this contention; with blacks in the last 14 days constituting less than 10 percent of fully vaccinated persons. On the other hand, more than 50 percent of white/non-Hispanic persons have been recorded as fully vaccinated.
If something were to happen in the BVI, Massiah said it would be black Caribbean and minority groups who would be most adversely impacted because they have decided to “buy into the swill and not get vaccinated”.
During the aforesaid panel discussion, Acting Chief Medical Officer, Dr Ronald Georges dismissed the notion that COVID-19 vaccination is a ploy to depopulate the earth, especially black people.
He advised that rational persons ask themselves, “Is it possible? Is it plausible? Where is the evidence for this? Is there an ulterior motive to some of these questions?”
Debunking the rumours
Knocking down other rumours, Dr Georges said the contention that microchips are in the vaccine is untrue. He also said the claim that ‘sterility can be caused as a result of taking the vaccine’ is untrue. Dr Georges also debunked claims of magnets being placed in persons’ arms through the vaccine.
“We have to understand that there are people – a few people behind these rumours and misconceptions — who are minting it,” Dr Georges said.
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Good information but some of these health people too rude.
I wonder if the old man up Belle Vue saw this headline cause, I remember when he said black people can’t get Covid…such ignorance from a 70yr old SMH
Where did you see in the 98% honest caribbean media that we thousands of people dying from covid,yall wake up to this media hypnosis,this is not a pandemic.The media giants are manipulated you for the shot
Facts, alot of worthless greedy people in those faster countries will do anything for money spreading misinformation and corruption from the highest profession to the lowest level, no conscience whatsoever
This garbage theories that you are pushing is why black people will suffer more in this pandemic
How many blacks died from COVID in this country ?
You not looking at your Caribbean neighbors where people are dying. What will take for you to believe! is it when we burying people by the dozens !
Continue with your conspiracy theories. Hope you have a ventilator and a tank of oxygen at your home.
ivermectin
Is it really a surprise that those that are being targeted by and subsequently spreading misinformation are those that are suffering the worst from COVID. I get that there is a deep mistrust of certain governments for their past deeds but the statistics speak for themselves in terms of those nations that have rolled out vaccines in large numbers suddenly experiencing a massive drop in cases and sick people.
Well said Dr Georges. The vaccination system has been around for more than 200 years and has eradicated many deadly diseases from smallpox to polio.
Protect yourself now.
are all those in italy and india black?
You fail to understand that there are wicked people in this world who want to reduce the population of blacks on the planet? Well, they did in the past, they are doing it again. Give the vaccine to the Europeans. We are not going to be part of the experiment. Even Health officials are refusing to put a second question forward. Can you really trust the CDC and WHO to tell the truth about the Covid pandemic?
No.
How does one design a virus or a vaccine to target only Black people? Was the AIDS virus designed to kill gays?
Its nothing to do with race…its all to do with lifestyle…we living off of their poisonous can foods, preservatives and chemically induces lab food for decades and just a blatant ignorance towards healthy eating and exercise…high blood pressure, diabetes blah blah blah…that is what makes black people more at risk not the colour of our skin…keep listening to Medea with her illusions and lies.
The facts are, Blacks in those so called developed countries face a mirade of road blocks and challenges in their quest to access medicine, medical insurance, proper medical care and more, all due systemic institutionalized racism.
Most Black people are left in the hall ways to die if do have money or medical insurance, which most of them do not have,while many more are deliberately given inferior medical attention even after being admitted. Those are the factual realities.
That is why COVID deaths are so high among the Black population, period, in those countries, and not because COVID affects the Black population any differently than any other, vaccinated or not.
That is the other factual side of the coin media will not add to the story.
How do you explain the african continent? Its a mystery because not many black are dying there.
3.54 million people have died of Covid in Africa. There have been 170 million cases..
According to who? WHO?…gtffhwts…tell cnn f**k off.
@Real Simple, where did you get that figure of 3.5 million deaths in Africa?
In future whenever I see your posts I will place a dislike against them.
We must be willing to look at all sides of these statements.
Perhaps, the environments in the Caribbean has spared many from a sure death from this plague.
Nonetheless, globally, we see many that look like us dying in large numbers.
I will not chastise anyone that refuses the jab. Can we, however, sustain a viable economy,going forward, with many remaining unjabbed?
This is the 64 million dollar question that only deep soul searching can provide an answer for!
I am hopeful that continued medical research, and the introduction, locally, of three medical schools, can bring the long sought answers that’s needed.
Our Creator Elohim gives black people wisdom. We aint stupid. We blacks trust in Elohim more than in science. BOOM! WHAT’S UP MY PEOPLE?
LOL!!! ???
LOL!!! ???
A few hours before your press conference, I was reading some info from CDC & WHO, according to them the number of cases are declining, fewer deaths and the request for the vaccine is also low. The same CDC also said that California and Texas to high case states were reporting a drop in cases and they had days where they recorded no deaths. Florida also reported lower numbers.
Also, I would like to know why no one is addressing the side effects of the vaccine. Every time the public is address concerning the virus no one seems to address the side effects. Many people have concerns and may be if you all address them people may be willing to try. Stop with the fearmongering. Just be honest and straight forward. No need for this. I happen to know a few people who have taken the shot and have side effects. Two suffered mild strokes, a few complain of no feeling on the side that they took the shot it. (if they took it in the left hand they left side feels numb.) I’m sure persons have reach out for assistant in dealing with these side effects. Please address them the next time around. Don’t try to down play them because they really exist and many have concerns about them.
On another note, I notice every time there is a major holiday or event, we get on of these press conference fill with fearmongering. Please stop it and we on to you all. As I said before just be honest about the situation.
@HMMMMM. YES its true. The chief *** is very rude and out of order.
I dont know where they getting their info from, but a quick search shows that this isnt true
the factors that affect Covid deaths are age and preexisting conditions. Another set of fear mongering
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/covid-data/investigations-discovery/hospitalization-death-by-race-ethnicity.html
What are you on about? The link you have provided provides its own caveat on the numbers:
“Note: Adjusting by age is important because risk of infection, hospitalization, and death is different by age, and age distribution differs by racial and ethnic group. If the effect of age is not accounted for, racial and ethnic disparities can be underestimated or overestimated.”
And in terms of the figures:
Black or African American, Non-Hispanic persons are 2.9x mor elikely to be hospitalised and 1.9x to die. So well contrbuted to the debate smdh…
I watched a video where the US president say the CDC does not approve the vaccine. But they will make more and send it to the Caribbean. If it illegal in the US why use it in the Caribbean. I know these health officials are seeing these videos passing around like everyone else. These people speak about depopulation and we should not take it serious really. Give all the information not some. Right now if I die from AIDS they will say it was Covid-19. Why are there not much reports about the side effect people experience from Covid-19. CHINA gone MIA. Don’t half step Ms. HARMONY give the good, bad and the ugly.
Well it was always,because we are God chosen people the most powerful race, from beginning they been trying to but we are warriors people who knows there God and how to pray and worship, covid 19 kill alot of the black already many cowards , so if covid 19 doesn’t, well the vaccine will , so who the covid did not get , the vaccine will so its a win win situation for 6them but hey God is still on the thrown he’s still in control nothing happens without he allowed it
HOW MANY BLACKS IN CHINA , EROUPE , RUSSIA ,AND ELSE WHERE DIED OF THIS COVID-19.?
I won’t really concern myself with the death rate data from the crooked racist united states.
Enough of this, WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT COVID DEATHS AND ADVERSE REACTIONS IN THE BVI. THE BLOOD CLOTS, THE PARRALIZATIO AND OTHER MATTERS RELATED TO THE JAB!! STOP HIDIND IT!!
ERADICATED is what happened. So tell me WHITE BOY is the Covid vaccine ERADICATING Covid. If your answer is no then SHUT YUH SUK Pu C DOG MOUTH!