By GRANT SCHULTE-Associated Press
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - The coronavirus pandemic appears to be taking a "startling," disproportionate toll on Nebraska's Hispanic, Asian and black residents, a top health administrator said Friday.
Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services CEO Dannette Smith made the comments as the state released a partial breakdown of the virus' impact on different racial groups.
Nebraska had 13,261 confirmed virus cases as of Thursday night, according to the department. Among the 9,630 infected people whose races are known, Smith said 2,430 were minorities. Nebraska is more than 87% white.
"Some of our data is startling," Smith said at a news conference with Gov. Pete Ricketts. "We have a lot of work to do with our communities of color to ensure we understand their culture and linguistic needs."
About 40% of the residents who were hospitalized with the virus identified as Hispanic, even though that group represents just 11% of the state's overall population, according to the state data. Hispanics also accounted for about 20% of the state's coronavirus deaths, Smith said.
Asians accounted for 8% of Nebraska's coronavirus hospitalizations but represent just 2% of the population. And black residents represent 7% of Nebraska's hospitalizations but 5% of the general population.
White residents, by contrast, represented 70% of those hospitalized and 87% of the general population.
The disproportionate share of minority cases is likely driven by major outbreaks in Nebraska's meatpacking plants, which employ large numbers of Hispanic and black workers.
Dr. Gary Anthone, Nebraska's chief medical officer, said Friday that state officials have linked 2,988 virus cases to meatpacking plants, including 11 deaths and 140 hospitalizations.
Ricketts said the state has taken extra steps to warn minority communities about the virus, such as holding Spanish-language news conferences and hiring bilingual contact tracers to help identify people who have been exposed. Advocates for meatpacking workers have said the state isn't doing enough to protect vulnerable minority populations.
Smith said Nebraska's race data isn't complete because state officials don't have one central database where that information is recorded. Instead, she said public health officials are drawing from four different sources and won't have a full snapshot until the end of June.
Meanwhile, new figures show Nebraska saw an additional coronavirus death and another 200-plus cases of infection as the last week of May winds to an end.
The state's online virus tracking site shows an additional death on Thursday, bringing the state's total to 164 on Friday. The site also showed 285 additional cases of the virus confirmed Thursday.
Despite the steady increase, Ricketts has moved to ease social-distancing restrictions, starting Monday. The relaxed rules will allow for larger crowds at public events, and bars and other attractions will reopen for the first time in months.
For some infected people, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, the virus can cause severe illness or death. But for most people, it causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, that clear up in two to three weeks.
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From Governor Rickett's Office
Governor Pete Ricketts shared new demographic data on coronavirus cases and fatalities. The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS, in partnership with Local Health Departments, has been working diligently to collect and compile the data.
DHHS CEO Dannette R. Smith joined the Governor to provide coronavirus statistics broken down by race, ethnicity, age, and gender. Additionally, John C. Wyvill, Executive Director for the Nebraska Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (NCDHH, took part in today’s briefing. He talked about the challenges that deaf and hard of hearing Nebraskans have encountered as more people wear masks.
Gov. Ricketts: Test Nebraska
· We continue to encourage people to take the TestNebraska.com assessment.
· I want to remind people that Test Nebraska will operate in the following communities next week:
o Chadron, Alliance, Scottsbluff, Sidney, Broken Bow, Burwell, St. Paul, Valentine, O’Neill, Norfolk, Columbus, York, Lincoln, Fremont, Bellevue, and Omaha.
· Additional information on the specific locations of the testing sites will be posted on TestNebraska.com soon.
Dannette Smith: Public Health Data
· Governor Ricketts has ensured that DHHS is committed to serving the most vulnerable residents and providing health access to all Nebraskans.
· We have been hard at work in our efforts to collect demographic data and share it with fidelity. I want to underscore that we will continue to collect, synthesize, and report data in a transparent manner.
· According to the American Community Survey in 2018, Nebraska’s demographic make-up is as follows:
o 87% Caucasian
o 5% African American
o 5% Multiracial or Other Race
o 2% Asian
o 1% American Indian or Alaskan Native
· With respect to ethnicity, 89% of Nebraskans identify as non-Hispanic and 11% identify as Hispanic or Latino.
· Data on Nebraska’s coronavirus cases, hospitalizations, and fatalities—broken down by race and ethnicity—is available by clicking here.
· The overwhelming majority (75%) of all patients hospitalized with the virus have been 50 years of age or older.
· Among coronavirus-related fatalities, 87% have occurred among those 60 years of age or older according to the Nebraska Disease Surveillance System.
· We continue to learn more about underlying health conditions such as hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, and tobacco use. These underlying health conditions have a significant impact on the likelihood of recovery from coronavirus infection. This is especially true for communities of color, where underlying conditions often go undiagnosed due to lack of treatment and care.
· This is why Local Health Departments and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) are so integral to providing preventative and primary care to vulnerable populations.
John Wyvill: Masks and Communication
· The deaf and hard of hearing have had to adjust to new social distancing rules and norms, including the wearing of masks.
· In this environment, going to grocery stores, drive-thru banks, and medical appointments has become more challenging.
· Twenty percent of Nebraskans have some form of hearing loss, whether diagnosed or not. Roughly 1 out of 3 Nebraskans over age 65 have hearing loss.
· As more people wear masks, be aware of the communication barrier and have a communication plan.
· In a medical setting, it’s particularly important for the deaf and hard of hearing to be able to communicate.
· One option is to wear clear masks so that others can read your lips when speaking.
· It may also be a good idea to keep a smartphone or tablet on hand so that you can type out messages if needed.
· Today’s press conference is captioned by NET, and NCDHH has been providing ASL interpreters for the Governor’s press briefings.
New Directed Health Measures (DHM) beginning June 1st were released today. They cover a wide variety of topics and can be found by clicking here. Previously, the DHM had required 30% of beds to be available before a hospital could resume elective surgeries. Given the continued stability of Nebraska’s hospital system, the next DHM will require 15% of beds to be available for elective surgeries to continue.
Full video of today’s press briefing is available by clicking here.