Listen: Why Covid-19 wasn’t the ‘great equalizer’

When the Covid-19 pandemic began in 2020, some experts assumed the virus would affect everyone even-handedly, regardless of their race or socioeconomic background. But the reality of Covid proved to be far from the “great equalizer” — Black and brown communities had higher rates of infection and death. Among the factors exacerbating Covid-19’s impact is America’s legacy of racial and economic segregation.

In this episode, we hear from Anthony Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases who played a crucial role in leading the U.S.’s response to Covid-19. Fauci speaks with with host Nicholas St. Fleur about the disproportionate burden that Black and brown communities faced during the pandemic. We also talk with Martine Hackett, a professor of public health at Hofstra University to hone in on the health outcome disparities on Long Island during the pandemic.

To better understand the historical context and the present-day effects of redlining — which was housing and mortgage lending discrimination based on race — we chat with Helen Meier, an epidemiologist from the University of Michigan, and Bruce Mitchell, an urban geographer and senior analyst with the National Community Reinvestment Coalition. And Adesuwa Watson, director of the Suffolk County Office of Minority Health, shares her story of trying to address the health disparities she saw on the local level at the onset of the pandemic.

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A transcript of this episode is available here. 

To read more on some of the topics discussed in this episode:

• Read Meier and Mitchell’s NCRC report: The Lasting Impact of Historic “Redlining” on Neighborhood Health: Higher Prevalence of Covid-19 Risk Factors. 
• Watch an interview with Fauci at Aspen Ideas: Health
• Hackett’s Long Island Advocate op-ed about Covid-19 health inequities
• Hofstra professor talks about racial inequities seen in coronavirus toll, Newsday

This podcast was made possible with support from the Commonwealth Fund.