ABC13 hosts 'COVID-19 & Our Latinx Community' town hall
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The rise in COVID-19 infections across southeast Texas has exposed some concerning truths about the virus among Hispanic households.
ABC13, Houston's most-watched television station, brought together medical leaders, elected officials and community advocates for a town hall highlighting COVID-19's disproportionate effects on the Latinx community.
RELATED: All deaths reported Monday from COVID-19 were Hispanic
ABC13's Eyewitness News anchor Mayra Moreno and her panel answered your questions about the surge of infections in the Latinx community, focusing on the obstacles to health care access and testing; the predisposition of the Hispanic population to underlying, high-risk conditions; and the pandemic's effects on Latinx workers, commonly considered essential by their employers.
WATCH THE FULL TOWN HALL BELOW:
Panelists for the town hall included:
- Dr. Joseph Varon, United Memorial Medical Center chief medical officer
- Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia, Texas' 29th congressional district
- Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, Harris County Sheriff's Office
- State Rep. Armando Walle, Harris County COVID-19 Recovery Czar
- Dr. Laura Murillo, Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce president
- Susie R. Molina, Houston Mayor's Hispanic Advisory Board member
In July, the CDC found Latinx people are four times more likely to be hospitalized from COVID-19; this news coming as data analysis presented by Eyewitness News showed a critical need for more coronavirus testing in Black and brown communities, where minorities are experiencing longer wait times at understaffed testing centers than in whiter or wealthier areas.
