Health, Marion County officials set to announce new COVID-19 testing initiative

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Marion County Health Department and local city and county officials plan to release a new initiative aimed at reaching communities disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 virus Thursday morning.

US Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams says black Americans and Hispanic Americans are more likely to suffer from chronic health conditions that can harm how their bodies handle additional illnesses.

IU Health Methodist Hospital Dr. Ashley Meagher says minorities have a lack of access to insurance, a lack of access to primary care and the inability to take time off work.

The demographics of COVID-19 deaths haven’t been broken down in Indianapolis. But in places like Illinois, Michigan and Louisiana, numbers have been released.

“All of the cities are showing nearly 70% of their mortality are in African American patients when their populations are nowhere near that,” Dr. Meagher said. 

You can watch the new initiative live on live on Wishtv.com, the WISH-TV news app and on our Facebook page.