Tracking COVID-19 Cases By ZIP Code Highlights Inequities In St. Louis Region

On April 8, St. Louis Health Director Dr. Fred Echols brought attention to the fact that, at that point, all 12 people who died of COVID-19 in St. Louis were African American. This echoed what other cities have experienced in treating COVID-19 patients — there are racial disparities in who is more at risk of a COVID-19 diagnosis due to long-standing socioeconomic factors that have disproportionately affected black Americans. In this episode, guests discuss the inequalities brought into stark light by COVID-19. Joining the conversation: Washington University’s Dr. Laurie Punch, who is currently working in Christian Hospital Northeast’s ICU, and Michal Grinstein-Weiss, the director of Washington University’s Social Policy Institute and of the Centene Center for Health Transformation. Grinstein-Weiss recently looked into COVID-19 case counts in ZIP codes across the St. Louis region.