NORTH CAROLINA, Durham- Nearly eight in ten new coronavirus cases in Durham County are Hispanic, according to a report from the Department of Public Health Delivered the week of June 15.
The numbers
In March, the percentage of cases among Hispanics was 6.60%, in April the percentage increased to 15.70%, in May to 70.50% and until mid-June to 79.50%.
Of every 100 cases of Covid-19 among Latinos in June, 88% were construction workers, and of every 150 cases among unemployed people, 84% were also Latinos.
En global terms as of June 28 In Durham, 3,627 cases of Covid-19 were recorded, and 65.6%, that is, 2,343, were Latino.
Education in workplaces
The Department of Public Health has created resources in Spanish to inform the community and also request help from the state to support Latinos during this pandemic. Part of the emphasis is making sure work sites are implementing recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“We want to make sure we can go to construction sites and provide public health educational materials. We also want to make sure that masks are worn during work, but also on the way to work,” a Enlace Latino NC Rod Jenkins, director of the Durham Health Department.
In a round table organized by Councilor Javiera Caballero, Dr. Gabriela Maradiaga Panayotti said that the use of masks or face coverings has to be more internalized by society and by the media.
“A lot of the transmission is not happening during work hours, but it is on the road and at lunch time when they do not have masks and are not following the social distancing rule,” Panayotti said.
County response to cases among Latinos
Jenkins told us that as soon as they noticed the growth in cases they took action and decided to convene their partners to ensure that the health care coalition in Durham was aware of what the data was showing.
“That led us to have conversations with certain community groups including LATIN-19, El Centro Hispano and ISLA NC. We began working to make resources known to the community," Jenkins said.
In an effort to disseminate information to the Latino population, the Department of Public Health has made resources available in Spanish, such as:
●Videos in YouTube
●The county website which contains information about cases and resources COVID-19
●Text updates available when you text “COVIDesp” to 888-777
●Email updates when you sign up list.
Hotels for those leaving prison
At the weekly roundtable on Thursday, June 26, Durham Mayor Steve Schewel said that the county will provide a quarantine hotel for people coming out of jail and for the homeless population who have tested positive for the virus. although he acknowledged that it is expensive.
“To put it in perspective, for two and a half months in the hotel for the 150 people without shelters who needed help, it was two million and these were people who needed medical help. “This is a very important thing, but it is very expensive and difficult,” Schewel said.
Mask program
The mayor also mentioned a new program that is planned for businesses to become certified and be able to obtain face masks for their workers. This is all in an effort to make masks more accessible to the population.
“Next Friday we are going to have a virtual marketplace so you can receive masks from local and non-local suppliers for those who need a larger quantity of masks,” Schewel said.
Tracking of infected people
Jenkins thinks another of the most important focuses is building trust between the community and health centers.
“We just want you to understand that when your local health department calls it is only to inform you and to get more information about your close contacts. This way they can protect themselves and their loved ones. “We are here to help, we are not here to hurt,” Jenkins said.
He said that in an effort to build trust and educate about the work the department does, there will be television campaigns with Telemundo and Univision to explain what infection tracing is and why it is necessary.
What remains to be done
Health Director Jenkins also indicated to this medium that he spoke with the state's Secretary of Public Health and Human Services, Dr. Mandy K. Cohen, about the actions that the state government can take to help the Latino community.
“I feel like if there was some kind of monetary funding so that the Latino population could quarantine without fear of not being able to put food on the table or not pay their bills, I think that would help,” he said.
Jenkins also said additional resources are needed for those who can be quarantined as they should be able to receive assistance with food, bill payment and medication. since people cannot be ordered to close their lives if they are not given some chance to survive.
In this regard, in a press conference held on Friday, June 26, Cohen indicated that he is working on possible aid of this type. Likewise, Cohen said the DHHS will give $100,000 to four state organizations to help the Latino community, although he did not explain what and how they will give that help.
Food and masks
The manager of the Health and Wellness Department of El Centro Hispano, Kattia Blanco Acuña, toldEnlace Latino NC that the organization offers distribution of food as well as masks that have been donated.
They, too, have worked to launch a collaboration campaign with the media to bring information to the community.
“A lot of collaboration is important to be able to inform people about what is happening. I think that people are still not well informed and do not know what is really happening. Not knowing what is happening makes them sick. “I think there is still a lack of communication,” Acuña said.
