Who gets sick

Here in the Philippines, we are in strict quarantine, and the official number of cases is low but includes doctors and nurses.

But there are reports of many of our OFW having caught the wuhanflu. Why? Because of where they work:
as health care personnel.
As caregivers
on Cruise ships
as menial workers in the Middle East etc. who live in dormitories.

one does worry about epidemics in dormitories housing workers, not only in the Middle East but in places not known for having poor people, like Singapore, who has many cases among migrants who do the work locals don't want to do.

LINK and when these businesses shut down, they will not be able to send money to their families and may have to return home.

in the US, the higher rate in the black population and among AmerIndians is attributed to racism, but poverty is partly behind this.

Yes, there is racism that people face: fewer local docs who are seen as part of the community mean you have to wait to see a stranger, often from another country (and yes, some of these are worse racist than home grown doctors who tend to be upper middle class condescending twits).

the lack of personal physicians is becoming more common with the business orientation of modern medicine, and ignores the  importance of a personal relationship with physicians so people trust you and go to you before they are on deaths' door.

it's not just against blacks however: we had to be careful when we referred our AmerIndian patients to specialists. And the specialists were not always trusted: we had a surgeon working with our diabetics to treat small wounds so they didn't result in amputations who used to drive up 300 miles to see people twice a month, and many patients got to know him: So when they went to Minneapolis for treatment, some of them would only have him do their surgery, or ask him for a second opinion before they agreed to specialized surgery (e.g. cardiac surgery, orthopedic surgery).

NotDeadYet, a disability rights group, describes this as "sysemic racism", but also points out that it is where people work that often makes them more vulnerable.

We Black folks are more likely to be essential workers – nurses, attendants, hospital technicians, public transit operators, sanitation workers and first responders. That brings us in contact with others who have been exposed to, or who actually have COVID-19. Most do not have access to personal protective equipment like masks, gloves and gowns, necessary to slow the spread of the disease.

Blacks are also more likely to live in poverty and not have health insurance, so when we get sick, we can’t go to the doctor. Since we receive inferior healthcare compared to Whites, especially in the treatment of diabetes, heart conditions and cancer – three conditions that make COVID-19 more likely to be fatal, we are dying at a much higher rate.

a similar lack of protection and refusal to be aggressive to defend their workers might be behind the outbreak in certain meat packing plants in the midwest.

Some have noted some of these are owned by China, but believe me, the problem is broader than that. Many Hispanics, including those without formal papers, work in the food processing industry, and now the employees might be from other immigrant groups.  Are they unionized? If not, why not? If they are, then why aren't the unions insisting on protective equipment. 

Employees might be afraid to complain about these things: When my son worked at one such plant years ago, he was told he had to work overtime. Yes, he said, at time and half pay. The supervisor said: no at regular pay, or we'll call "la Migra". My son is Hispanic but he is a US citizen who grew up in the USA and doesn't take much S--- so laughed in his face and told him off. But a person who grew up in another country where obedience to those above them or you will be punished would have simply obeyed and of course those without papers would be even less willing insist on their rights.



I read Trumpie boy might use a federal act to keep these plants open, meaning he will mandate protective equipment. from Instapundit:

Trump to Order U.S. Meat Plants to Stay Open Amid Pandemic. “President Donald Trump plans to order meat-processing plants to remain open as the nation confronts growing food-supply disruptions from the coronavirus outbreak, a person familiar with the matter said. Trump plans to use the Defense Production Act to order the companies to stay open as critical infrastructure, and the government will provide additional protective gear for employees as well as guidance, according to the person.”