High case count among black residents in Mecklenburg a ‘major problem,’ some leaders say

African-Americans in the Charlotte area appear to be disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 illness, according to demographic data released Monday by Mecklenburg County health officials.

Some local black elected leaders say it is a major problem that hasn’t gotten enough attention. Others — including George Dunlap, the chairman of the Mecklenburg County commissioners — said Monday they hadn’t studied data showing the racial breakdown of coronavirus cases, despite health officials having released the information publicly three times in the last week. Another update came Monday.

Data from Mecklenburg County showed black residents accounted for 43.9% of 303 confirmed COVID-19 cases locally through Saturday. By comparison, black residents make up only 32.9% of Mecklenburg County’s population, according to U.S. Census estimates from July 2019.

Dunlap says if black residents are disproportionately represented in the case count, it may be because they’re more often seeking testing. So far, Mecklenburg County Public Health Director Gibbie Harris has not disclosed how many people have been tested for COVID-19 or released demographics for those who had negative test results. It’s not clear, based on information from county officials, whether more black people are being tested.

Still, Mecklenburg County Commissioner Mark Jerrell said the data on positive COVID-19 tests is “clear.”

“Certainly, African Americans are disproportionately impacted, and I’d like to understand some of the ‘whys’ behind that,” Jerrell said in an interview Monday. “I’m very concerned about that — it’s alarming, and it’s something we have to get under control immediately.”

The March 28 data, released Monday, shows white residents made up 42.2% of cases, with Hispanics at 7%, Asians at 2.6% and Alaskan natives or American Indians at less than 1%. In 4% of cases, race or ethnicity was not reported, officials said.

The county’s population, from 2019 Census estimates, shows 57.5% of residents are white, 13.6% are Hispanic or Latino, 6.4% are Asian, and 0.8% are Alaskan native or American Indian.

The data represents most but not all of Mecklenburg’s coronavirus cases. As of Monday afternoon, state officials say the local total has grown to 382 — 333 of whom are county residents. Others live elsewhere but tested positive in Mecklenburg.

Limited information

Dunlap said he did not watch Sunday’s press briefing with Mecklenburg County Manager Dena Diorio and Harris, the health director. On Sunday, Harris first told reporters she was unaware of racial data from COVID-19 testing being released but later confirmed the county had made some public.

The exchange led Glenn Burkins, founder and publisher of Q City Metro, to write Monday: “As of March 26, no other racial or ethnic group in Mecklenburg County accounted for a larger percentage of COVID-19 cases ... Why is no one in county leadership talking about this?”

“By no means do I suggest ill intent,” he wrote in a column. “What I suggest, instead, are missed opportunities.” He questioned whether the high number of positive cases in the black community may be traced back to an event or suggest black residents are more at risk due to specific occupations.

The limited information makes it difficult to gauge the true extent of COVID-19 cases in more vulnerable populations, some elected officials told the Observer.

Still, Charlotte City Councilman Malcolm Graham said he doesn’t see a disproportionate impact on minority communities. He acknowledged he’d not reviewed recent demographic data from the county.

“Black and white, we all are in this together,” Graham said in an interview Monday. “Everyone, regardless of gender and ethnicity, should take it seriously and follow the guidelines established by the Mecklenburg (County) Health Department.”

‘A major problem’

Charlotte City Council member Braxton Winston said the coronavirus “affects everybody,” regardless of socioeconomic status. Health experts have said there’s no known immunity by any race to the disease and that while some people are more vulnerable to severe illness, COVID-19 can infect anyone.

Yet Winston emphasized that black and brown communities have historically struggled with “structural inequities” — for example, crowded housing, lack of access to supermarkets, and limited medical care — that is often exacerbated by poverty.

“We’re definitely going to have to really wrap our proverbial arms around our most high-risk communities,” Winston said in an interview Monday. “That is going to be so important in flattening the overall curve ... Equity should really inform us of segments of our population that could be most disproportionately affected by this.”

County Commissioner Vilma Leake said she has requested more transparent information on testing capacity in Mecklenburg, especially after a public health clinic closed Monday at 249 Billingsley Road.

Harris said in a statement Friday the county was consolidating services — intended for family planning, sexually transmitted infections and HIV testing — to a different clinic location at 2845 Beatties Ford Road. The change, she said, was to “effectively utilize public health staff and other resources during this unprecedented time.”

“I’m not sure they are looking at these communities as safely as we ought to,” Leake said Monday. “It’s a problem — it’s a major problem.”