The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated the country and the world and exposed how the cracks in the U.S. healthcare system have contributed to the rising cases and deaths among people of color. Colorlines recently spoke to Dr. Oni Blackstock, the Assistant Commissioner for the Bureau of HIV at the New York City Health Department, about the catastrophic impact that COVID-19 has on communities of color.

In New York City alone, the epicenter of COVID-19 cases in the United States, Black and Latinx folks are dying from COVID-19 at twice the rate of White people. From people of color making up most of the “essential workers” to residing in segregated neighborhoods to lack of access to meaningful healthcare (either because folks are underinsured, uninsured, or racial bias), Dr. Blackstock outlines why the novel coronavirus is a vicious killer and names many of the issues that need to be addressed in order for us to get through this pandemic. Watch below: