One-fifth of Summit County coronavirus infections in Asia-News-Akron Beacon Journal

According to Summit County Public Health data, Asians make up less than 4% of the Summit County population, but make up almost 20% of the coronavirus cases in the county.

The Department of Health’s report of 1,792 cumulative confirmed and estimated cases in the county as of Tuesday was 53% white residents, 24% black residents, 19% Asian residents, and 4%. Identified as “Other”.

According to the US Census Bureau, Summit County residents are 78% white, 15% black, and 4% Asian.

“It’s a concern,” said Donna Skoda of the Summit County Public Health Commission. “We know that the minority is overly afflicted with all types of pandemics and all types of illness.”

The ministry of health said most of the county incidents among Asian residents were in the Bhutanese and Nepalese population of the county.

The Akron Bhutanese Community Association estimates that more than 15,000 Bhutanese live in the Summit and Portage counties. Many are refugees who spent many years in a Nepalese refugee camp after fleeing Bhutan, South Asia in the 1990s during the ethnic cleansing era.

The 44310 zip code has the most cases in the Summit county, including Akron’s North Hill neighborhood and its large immigrant population, including the population of Bhutan.

Skoda has a high incidence of cases due to several factors such as living and working conditions.

“Many Asian families, especially in North Hill, have a meeting life,” she said. “They are culturally multi-generational homes, so many people can live nearby.”

According to Skoda, many inhabitants are also engaged in frontline jobs such as manufacturing, and they move in groups, which can make it difficult to keep a social distance.

However, Skoda said the high rate was not due to people not taking public health advice seriously. Residents wear masks and keep a social distance.

“They really try to stop the spread,” she said.

Vishal Pokrel, secretary of the Bhutan Community Association Akron, said 35 families in the Bhutan Community had positive coronavirus cases.

People who test positive are advised to stay home. Community members deliver food, sanitize consumables, gloves, and masks and leave them at the doorstep. The organization also cancels activities when the pandemic begins and is working on educating members of the community.

According to Pokhrel, most people with a positive reaction are recovering or improving and very few need to be hospitalized. He knows only two deaths in the community.

Pokrel also pointed out that among the thousands of people in the Akron area, only 35 of the 35 families had positive cases, but only a small proportion of the population.

Maduk Sharma, Executive Director of the International Akron Institute, agreed that living and working conditions contributed to the growth of Asian residents.

“It’s not just multi-generational households,” she said. “Also, the places and areas where the Bhutanese community lives are far from grocery stores and medical facilities, making it difficult to get the care and supplies we need. We are exposed to this possibility.”

Also, people who work in essential industries such as manufacturing are more likely not to get sick leave, so they may get a job even if they feel unwell.

But it’s not just where people live and work. It is racism and inequality that can cause “chronic and toxic stress”, limit access to health care systems and make people more vulnerable to illness. ..

Public health officials say that racial health disparities are strongly influenced by social, cultural, economic, and environmental factors and have little to do with biology or individual behavior. Institutional racism is the cause of these disparities, and several groups such as Akron City, Summit County and Akron Public Schools have recently declared racism a public health crisis.

Coronavirus pandemics also have a disproportionate impact on black residents, with 24% of county coronavirus cases occurring among black residents, which make up 15% of the county’s population. Skoda said the case incidence among black residents was stable.

Sharma said there is shame and fear between Asians and Asian-Americans to blame the spread of the virus. She said she would add a level of stress that others would not experience.

“People with low incomes and access problems remain stressed in their lives, and there are racial differences in how COVID is deployed in the community, which is a difference in our social It reflects racial inequality.” “Of course, one of Akron’s most vulnerable communities will be the community of refugee Bhutan because of stress situations.”

Skoda said the Ministry of Health is working with communities and religious leaders to disseminate information, including social media, and to use translators from Asian Services in Action (ASIA), Inc. Translated materials are also available on the Health Department website at scph.org.

Summit County Public Health is also developing a community test site in collaboration with ASIA, Inc.

Sharma highlighted other community organizations such as BRAVE, a youth community outreach organization, and Greater Akron Hindu Sewa Summit, who sewes fabric masks.

“I think they are 911’s response to the Bhutanese community,” Sharma said, pointing out that the group is building a social support network for themselves.

“I’m really proud that the Bhutanese community is responding much faster than any response I have received from the local or federal governments,” she said.

Contact the Beacon Journal reporter Emily Mills ([email protected]).