BEAUMONT, Texas — The Governor of Louisiana says 70 percent of the coronavirus-related deaths in the state have been linked to one race. Now, he's saying this is a trend that's worth looking into.
The staggering trend has not only caught the attention of Louisiana residents but also Texans near the Louisiana state line. Southeast Texans are closely watching what's happening in Louisiana in regard to the coronaviurs.
"It's close. It's just across the street basically," Southeast Texas resident Nicole Machado said. "The closer it hits to home, the closer they will understand it's real."
The Bayou State has more than 16,000 COVID-19 cases and at least 500 deaths as of April 7. The community that has been impacted the most from the virus is African Americans, which is 30 percent of Louisiana's population.
"Slightly more than 70 percent of all the deaths in Louisiana are African Americans, and so that deserves more attention," Louisiana Gov. John Edwards said.
Gov. Edwards says high blood pressure is the leading underlying medical condition officials have noticed in many coronavirus cases.
"Even before coronavirus came about, those were already risk factors for not doing well for any certain thing,” said Southeast Texas physician Dr. Msonthis Levine.
Dr. Levine admits the trend is troubling but believes there's more to the numbers.
"Everybody, in my opinion, is at risk with or without high blood pressure, with or without diabetes. That stuff doesn't matter,” Dr. Levine said. “It can spread easily, and it can infect anybody, and it can kill anyone."
"We will never go back to living regular life until people realize this is real," Nicole said.
Health experts like Dr. Levine said the best advice he can give is for others to simply trust the science. "We just have to stay at home and limit interactions, wash the paws, and don't touch the T-zone."
Jefferson County’s public health director said he expects the county to release more information related to ethnicity of patients infected with COVID-19 soon.
