As COVID-19 cases in Kalamazoo County increase, many of its African American residents are disproportionately affected, recent Michigan Department of Health and Human Services data showed.
Figures released on April 11 that 35.4% of the 79 Kalamazoo County residents who had contracted the disease were black, the MLive.com reported. According to the latest census data, less than 12% of the county’s total population is black. The county reported 364 confirmed cases total as of April 30.
The disparity is similar to figures reported by the state and the nation. As of April 11, black residents account for 33% of Michigan’s confirmed cases. Fourteen percent of Michiganders are of African American descent.
The state reports more than 40,000 cases of the coronavirus as of April 30. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has ordered Michiganders to stay home unless to make essential trips, as well as directed all public and private K-12 schools to cancel face-to-face classes.
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