Richfield: Latinx community makes up 46% of COVID-19 cases, just 17% of population
Reading, PA - September 11: RN Monica Rush, the Director of Rehad Services at Penn State Health St. Joseph places a swab in a vial after doing a COVID-19 test on Reading Mayor Eddie Moran. Outside the Reading Branch of the YMCA on Washington Street i (Ben Hasty/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images / Getty Images)
RICHFIELD, Minn. (FOX 9) - The Minneapolis suburb of Richfield says 46 percent of all positive COVID-19 cases in the city have been in the Latinx community. While that rate is significantly larger in the city than it is statewide, statistics show the Latinx community’s infection rate is higher than other ethnic groups in Minnesota.
Richfield’s Latinx community represents just 17 percent of the population in the city, according to Census data from 2018. So Councilmember Edwin Garcia said the fact that nearly half of the city’s positive COVID-19 infections are from the Latinx population is concerning.
“Richfield is blessed to be a very diverse community with people coming from all around the world and making the city their home. It is one of our community’s greatest strengths,” said Garcia. “COVID-19 is affecting our Latinx community particularly hard and we are doing everything we can to provide them with the resources they need.”
Statewide, the Department of Health says 9.7 percent of all COVID-19 cases were people who identify as Latinx, while that demographic group accounts for just 5.6 percent of the population as a whole, according to Census data.
Coronavirus cases by race in the state of Minnesota. (Minnesota Department of Health)
The Latinx community has seen the third most infections of any ethnic group, following those who identify as White and “Unknown.”
While Richfield’s situation is far worse than statewide levels, the COVID-19 infection rate for all Minnesota Latinx community members is disproportionately high.
The Latinx community also is the third largest demographic group affected by COVID-19 deaths, behind the White and Black ethnicities.
The death rate of Minnesota Hispanics is actually disproportionately lower – 4 percent – than its percent of the population.