THIS
THIS HOURS. THE HIGHEST SINGLE DAY DEATH
TOLL SO FAR.
HERE IN NORTH CAROLINA NEW
NUMBERS JUST RELEASED.
TAKE A LOOK.
3426 CASES HERE IN NORTH
+@
+@ CAROLINA.
CAROLINA.
CAROLINA. 2417 DOWN IN SOUTH CAROLINA.
IT COMES AS THIS PANDEMIC IS
AFFECTING AFRICAN-AMERICANS AT
A DISPROPORTIONATE RATE.
WHY THAT MIGHT BE.
THANKS FOR JOINING US FOR THE
NEWS AT NOON I'M BEN THOMPSON.
PROMISING NEWS.
PROMISING NEWS. IT SEEMS LIKE SOCIAL DISTANCING
PROMISING NEWS. IT SEEMS LIKE SOCIAL DISTANCING@
IS WORKING.
IS WORKING. LESS PEOPLE MAY GET SICK OR DIE
THAN PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT BUT
OFFICIALS SAY WE NEED TO KEEP
IT UP.
IT UP.
IT UP. WCNC CHARLOTTE RICHARD DEVAYNE
HAS MORE.
HAS MORE.
HAS MORE. >> LOOKING AT THE LATEST
+@
+@ PROJECTIONS THERE IS GOOD NEWS
THAT HAS THE HOSPITALS IN OUR
AREA NOW MAKING SOME CHANGES.
>> STARTING NOW YOU CAN ONLY
WALK TO MECKLENBURG COUNTY
PARKS.
PARKS.
PARKS. NOT DRIVE THERE.
GATES WILL BE CLOSED.
IF YOU PARK YOUR CAR OUTSIDE
COUNTY LEADERS SAY IT WILL BE
CLOSED.
CLOSED.
CLOSED. >> THIS IS THE FINAL STEP TO
CLOSE THE PARKS AND GREENWAYS.
>> COMMISSIONERS MADE A
DECISION AFTER SOME RESIDENTS
NOT PRACTICING SOCIAL
DISTANCING.
DISTANCING. HOWEVER, THE STAY-AT-HOME ORDER
SEEMS TO BE SLIGHTLY WORKING
ALLEVIATING STRESS IN OUR LOCAL
HOSPITALS.
HOSPITALS. >> IT APPEARS THAT THE SOCIAL
DISTANCING TAKING PLACE IN THE
COUNTY HAS BEGUN TO FLATTEN THE
CURVE.
CURVE.
CURVE. >>
CURVE. >> INSTEAD OF 3000 BED FACILITY
AT UNC CHARLOTTE, LOCAL
HOSPITALS SAY THEY ONLY NEED
ABOUT 600 ADDITIONAL BEDS.
REASONS FOR THE DRAMATIC
REDUCTION.
REDUCTION. THE FACT THAT FEMA WILL HELP
PAY FOR THE HOSPITAL.
ATRIUM MADE MORE ROOM.
THE CEO SAYING A POSSIBLE NEW
LOCATION CAN BE ON THEIR
CAMPUSES.
CAMPUSES.
CAMPUSES. >> WE ARE NOT OUT OF THE WOODS
YET.
YET.
YET. >>
YET. >> OFFICIALS SAY WHILE THIS IS
GOOD NEWS THEY WANT TO CONTINUE
GOOD SAFETY PRECAUTIONS KEEPING
SOCIAL DISTANCING IN PLACE AS
WELL AS WASHING YOUR HANDS OR
USING HASN'T SANITIZER.
OUTSIDE OF ATRIUM HEALTH.
RICHARD DEVAYNE FOR WCNC.
>>> RICHARD, THANKS.
LAST YEAR WCNC CHARLOTTE SHOWED
YOU HOW THIS PANDEMIC IS
IMPACTING AFRICAN-AMERICANS AT
A DISPROPORTIONATE RATE.
HERE IN MECKLENBURG COUNTY
AFRICAN-AMERICANS MAKE UP ABOUT
33% OF THE POPULATION BUT
ACCORDING TO THE LATEST DATA
THEY MAKE UP ABOUT 44% OF
CONFIRMED CASES HERE.
BLAI+@NE ALEXANDER HAS MORE ON
WHAT IS NATIONALLY A DISTURBING
REALITY.
REALITY.
REALITY. >> AS CORONAVIRUS HAS AN UP
FORGIVING PATH IN THE COUNTRY
NUMBERS SHOW IT IS ESPECIALLY
DEVASTATING TO ONE GROUP.
AFRICAN-AMERICANS.
AFRICAN-AMERICANS. IN CHICAGO NEARLY 70% OF VIRUS
RELATED FATALITIES ARE BLACK
EVEN THOUGH AFRICAN-AMERICANS
MAKE UP LESS THAN A THIRD OF
THE POPULATION.
THE POPULATION. >> STUNNING.
>> STUNNING. IT IS A RED ALARM ALERT THAT WE
GOT TO RESPOND TO.
>> IN THE EPICENTRE.+@
NEW YORK CITY 59% OF DEATHS ARE
IN QUEENS AND BRONX.
BOTH AREAS WITH HIGH
POPULATIONS.
POPULATIONS. >> WE ARE WORKING +@HARD ON THE
AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY WITH
RESPECT TO TO WHAT IS GOING ON
BECAUSE IT IS NOT GOOD.
I DON'T LIKE IT.
>> DOWN IN LOUISIANA AFRICAN-
AMERICANS MAKE UP 70% +@OF THE
STATE'S DEATH EVEN THOUGH THEY
ONLY MAKE +@UP 30% OF THE
POPULATION. +@
POPULATION. +@ NOT EVERY STATE REPORTS CASES
WITH A BREAKDOWN BY RACE.
THE WHITE HOUSE TASK FORCE SAYS
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS
COLLECTING THAT DATA.
>> IT WILL BE PUBLIC AS SOON AS
YOU GET AN UPDATE TO MAKE A
MEANINGFUL STATEMENT.
MEANINGFUL STATEMENT. >> WHY IS THE BLACK COMMUNITY
GETTING HIT SO HARD BY THIS?
>> THE BLACK COMMUNITY HAS BEEN
HIT BY POOR HEALTH FOR A LONG
TIME.
TIME.
TIME. NOW
TIME. NOW YOU COMPOUND IT BY THIS
DREADLY DISEASE.
DREADLY DISEASE. IT IS NO SURPRISE WE WILL GET
HIT HARDER.
HIT HARDER. >> ESP+@ECIALLY HIT HARDER IN
COMMUNITIES LIKE ALBENO GEORGIA
WHERE 70% AFRICAN-AMERICAN IT
HAS MORE DEATHS THAN ANYWHERE
IN THE STATE.
TARA PARKS IS A SURVIVOR.
>> I DON'T THINK I WILL MAKE IT
I THOUGHT.
I THOUGHT. >> PEOPLE ARE SCARED.
>> WE HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING
LIKE THIS BEFORE.
>> AND IN ADDITION TO THE
UNDERLYING HEALTH CONDITIONS
THERE IS ANOTHER FACTOR, A
HIGHER NUMBER OF AFRICAN-
AMERICANS HAVE JOBS THAT
REQUIRE THEM TO WORK DURING THE
PANDEMIC.
PANDEMIC.
PANDEMIC. POSITIONS LIKE JANITORS AND BUS
DRIVERS AND GROCERY STORE +@
COLLECTION AND