African-Americans dying of coronavirus at higher rates, preliminary data shows

A medical worker speaks to motorist waiting in line to receive testing during the global outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outside Roseland Community Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., April 7, 2020. REUTERS/Joshua Lott

(Reuters) - The new coronavirus is killing African-Americans at a higher rate than the U.S. population at large, according to preliminary numbers from Louisiana, Michigan and Illinois that officials say point to disparities in health and healthcare access.

The figures were reported by state and city leaders at briefings on the coronavirus, including Louisiana Governor John Edwards who said more than 70% of the 512 people killed by the coronavirus in Louisiana as of Monday were black, a much larger percentage than the state's population that black people represent, about 33 percent.