April 11, 2020
Dr. Fredrick Echols, Director of the St. Louis Department of Health, has confirmed that as of April 8th, all 12 COVID-19 deaths in the city of St. Louis, Missouri were African Americans. This is the first major city in the United States to report such a statistic.
The information was revealed in an exclusive op-ed he wrote published by the St. Louis American. Dr. Echols, who is a medical doctor and just 37-years old, wrote: “Many of the pre-existing conditions that make the coronavirus more dangerous for some people — like heart conditions and diabetes — disproportionately affect the Black community. This is why everyone in the City of St. Louis — especially African Americans — must take precautions against spreading this disease.”
In his op-ed, he also confirmed that the city has two appointment-only COVID-19 testing sites – one in North St. Louis, at 2425 N. Whittier Strett and the other at the 5471 Dr. Martin Luther King Dr. location. The city also has a mobile testing site at 1717 Biddle Street, but patients must call first to register before arriving.
Read more at BlackNews.com.
