Blacks Account for 8 of Every 10 COVID Cases in D.C.: Report

Blacks constitute eight of every 10 coronavirus cases in D.C., according to city health department data.

For the week of Dec. 20, 48% of the city’s cases were among non-Hispanic Blacks, WTOP reported. But for the week of May 17, that number jumped to 80%.

Mayor Muriel Bowser expressed concern about the rise in cases among Black and brown residents during a call with Ward 8-based Anacostia Coordinating Council Tuesday.

Bowser said vaccine hesitancy was a main cause of the rise and encouraged people to get vaccinated.

“As the world opens up, it becomes less hospitable to people who aren’t vaccinated — in a social sense, but more importantly, in a health sense,” she said, WTOP reported.

Nearly 20% of Black residents are fully vaccinated, compared to almost 30% white residents, WTOP reported, citing The Washington Post’s vaccine tracker.