A leading public health official on why black communities should be taking COVID-19 seriously.

As Coronavirus precautions ramp up across the country, the executive director of the American Public Health Association is insisting communities of color meet the threat of infection with urgency.

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Speaking with The Undefeated, Georges C. Benjamin outlines the compounding factors that should be considered amongst African Americans seeking information, or in worst-case scenarios, treatment for COVID-19. Noting the ongoing distrust of many health services and public resources in black communities, Benjamin stresses the "need to make sure our trusted institutions, clinicians of color, churches, community organizations, are better educated." Benjamin also details the ways longstanding health service inequities put those communities at greater risk,"With African Americans, you start with a population that is disproportionately sicker, and if it gets exposed, it will have a higher death rate."

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For those seeking accurate and sourced information on the COVID-19 outbreak, as well as effective preventative measures, Benjamin refers readers to American Public Health Association's website and the CDC, which he admits fumbled the initial response to the pandemic, but has been diligent in updating protocols for those who suspect they've been exposed.