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Data shows minorities are more severely impacted by the coronavirus

Doctors say it's because many of them are in places that put them at risk and don't have access to proper healthcare.

TAMPA, Fla. — Data shows people of color are more susceptible to being severely impacted by COVID-19. Doctors say it's because many of them are in places that put them at risk and don't have access to proper healthcare.

"It's alarming, but it's not surprising people of color have a greater burden of chronic health condition," U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams said. 

He addressed concerns regarding African Americans and Latinos being affected by the coronavirus.

"Many of them live in densely populated areas and generational housing which created higher risk for the spread of a disease like COVID-19," he said.

But doctors say there are many more underlying issues that need to be addressed.

"Physicians are often not available in their own communities to provide them with basic public health services so it's an awful spiral of things that result in a higher death rate," Dr. Jay Wolfson said.

Wolfson is with the Morsani College of Medicine at the University of South Florida. He says socioeconomic conditions and generational experiences put minorities behind their communities. 

Without access to the proper healthcare and the means they need to keep their families healthy, their mortality rates are high, in cities that are hotspots for the COVID-19.

Take these three cities for example. In Los Angeles, 70 percent of COVID-19 related death are those who are African American, in Chicago, 72 percent are African American and in Milwaukee, 81 percent are African American. 

That's really disproportionate to other populations, especially the white populations, according to Dr. Wolfson.

Right here in Florida the health department reports almost 18,000 positive cases of coronavirus. The majority of people testing positive are white, but Latinos aren't far behind. African Americans have the least cases, but their death numbers rank second. All of this without the state testing at full capacity.

"We haven't tested enough. We haven't tested enough because we haven't had enough testing kits, but in the minority communities, it tends to be lower-income jobs with less protection, those people tend to have less insurance in the first place so they're going to be exposed and they're at a higher risk, to begin with," Dr. Wolfson said. 

RELATED: Why some black men fear wearing masks: ‘COVID-19 has not eliminated stereotypes’

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RELATED: Doctor: COVID-19 is killing African Americans at a higher rate than other groups

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