Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick falsely claims 'African Americans who have not been vaccinated' are drivi
Source: Washington Post
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick falsely claims ‘African Americans who have not been vaccinated’ are driving covid surge
By Julian Mark
August 20, 2021 at 10:46 a.m. EDT
When Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick was asked about the surge in coronavirus cases during a Thursday night appearance on Fox News, the Republican said that “African Americans who have not been vaccinated” are “the biggest group in most states” contributing to the spike.
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Patrick’s comments, one video clip of which had been viewed more than 845,000 times on Twitter as of early Friday, drew immediate criticism, with some calling the lieutenant governor’s assertion unfounded.
The latest data from the Texas Department of State Health Services shows that the African American population there is not driving the increase in cases. Black residents in Texas accounted for 16.4 percent of the state’s cases and 10.2 percent of deaths as of Aug. 13. Black people make up about 13 percent of the state’s population, according to census data.
While vaccination rates are low among Black Texans, the highest coronavirus case rates are among Whites and Hispanics. Non-Hispanic White people, who make up about 41 percent of the state’s population, make up 34.9 percent of covid cases and 41.1 percent of deaths, according to the data as of August 13. Hispanics, who account for almost 40 percent of the Texas population, make up 35.8 percent of the state’s cases and 46.1 percent of deaths.
“Making a statement that casts blame on a racial or ethnic minority for the spread of disease is a well-known racist trope that predates most of us,” Jorge Caballero, a former instructor at the Stanford University School of Medicine who is now working as health data scientist, told The Washington Post. “People are already getting hurt by this virus, and it makes absolutely no sense for us to add insult to injury.”
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Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/08/20/dan-patrick-covid-african-americans/
Shared link: https://wapo.st/3mmUmtE
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