African Americans account for 1.7% of the state’s population but 3.7% of the state’s infections.
New data show that African Americans in Maine are testing positive for COVID-19 at a disproportionally high rate.
Forty-one African Americans have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. While that number may seem small compared to the 1,095 statewide cases, it suggests a disparity because African Americans account for only 1.7 percent of the state’s population, but 3.7 percent of its infections.
Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said the figures show a “deeply concerning” racial disparity that has been seen elsewhere in the United States. One study found that African Americans were twice as likely to die of COVID-19 in New York City. And the New York Times reported that blacks accounted for 40 percent of the deaths in Michigan despite making up only 14 percent of the population.
Maine, which released the racial and ethnic breakdowns of COVID-19 cases for the first time Wednesday, is the last state in New England to do so. The information was reported the same day the state announced an outbreak at Tyson Foods’ meat processing plant in Portland, which employs many immigrant workers.
As of Thursday,10 Tyson workers had tested positive for COVID-19, and arrangements were being made to test all 400 workers, Shah said.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Maine called on the state to release the data April 16. Alison Beyea, the ACLU’s executive director, applauded its release, calling it the first step to ensuring Mainers of color are protected during the pandemic.
