Blacks make up nearly half of city’s COVID-19 victims
The Crusader Staff Report
The COVID-19 death toll among Chicago’s Black residents is 847 as of May 26, according to the Chicago Department of Health.
Data from the city agency show that Black COVID-19 victims make up 41 percent of Chicago’s 1,940 deaths. Latinos make up over 39 percent of the city’s deaths and whites make up nearly 20 percent. Asians make up over five percent of COVID-19 deaths in Chicago.
Statewide, as of May 26, 1,473 Blacks have died from the disease, along with 2,082 whites and 929 Latinos, according to the latest data from the Illinois Department of Public Health. That means Chicago makes up over half, or 58 percent, of the COVID-19 deaths among Blacks in Illinois.
Although still rising, data show that the death rate among Chicago’s Black population is slowing down with South Shore reporting the lowest number of deaths last week since the pandemic struck Chicago in March.
South Shore still leads all neighborhoods with 96 deaths, all of whom were Black, according to the latest data from the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office. Data show that for the week ending May 22, just two people in South Shore died from COVID-19 on top of the 94 deaths that were reported in the Crusader last week. The latest deaths include a 72-year-old Black male and a 90-year-old Black female.
And for the first time in six weeks, no deaths were reported from South Shore’s three biggest nursing homes, which include Villa at Windsor Park, Symphony South Shore and Waterfront Terrace.
In West Pullman and Roseland, some 68 Blacks have died from the disease. The Black neighborhood with the third highest death toll is Auburn Gresham with 51, followed by 49 in the Chatham and Greater Grand Crossing neighborhoods. Austin has the fifth highest death toll with 43 fatalities, followed by 33 in Humboldt Park. In Englewood, 32 people have died from the disease and 30 in the Beverly, Morgan Park and Washington Heights neighborhoods.
Meanwhile Chicago had one of the most violent Memorial Day Weekends with at least 10 dead and 39 shootings over a three-day period. The weekend was the first test for new Police Superintendent David Brown as the temperatures rise before the violent summer season nears.
Mayor Lightfoot rolled out an all-hands-on-deck public safety strategy with the Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC), the Chicago Police Department to emphasize that safety was a priority when celebrating Memorial Day weekend.
“Even as we face an unprecedented public health crisis, our first responders, city workers and street outreach partners from across Chicago are coming together in an all-hands-on-deck effort to keep residents safe this weekend and throughout the summer,” said Mayor Lightfoot before the holiday.
She encouraged all residents to celebrate the holiday, and reminded them it remains imperative that they stay inside and practice social distancing. By doing so, she said, “we can continue to save lives and keep our fellow neighbors safe and healthy.”
