Following the controversial post of LeBron James, which seemed to suggest that there is no visible difference between a cold, the flu and COVID-19, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar gave him an answer. As always with KAJ, nothing to add.
LeBron James is not only one of the greatest basketball players of all time, he is committed to being a leader of the African American community in the fight against inequality. But his Instagram meme from Thursday showing three Spidermans pointing at each other – one tagged ‘covid’, one tagged ‘flu’, one tagged ‘cold’ – with his post: ‘Help me friends’ dealt a blow to his worthy heritage. The implication of the meme is that LeBron doesn’t understand the difference between these three diseases, even after all the information that has been presented in the press. Well, since he asked, let me help him by explaining the difference – and how knowing that difference can save lives, especially in the black community.
First, let’s put his meme into context. In September, LeBron said, “We’re not talking about politics, racism or police violence, we’re talking about people’s bodies there. So I don’t think I should personally get involved in what people should or should not do with their bodies. It’s like asking me if someone should take this job or not. You have to do what’s best for you and your family, it’s your choice. I know what I have done for me and my family, what some of my friends have done for their families, but in terms of speaking out for everyone, their individuality and what they are want to do or not, that’s not my job. “
Here is the first problem with this claim: with 106 million followers on Instagram, making such a post automatically has a political impact, because it calls into question the validity of the efforts made to vaccinate the country. As some of the comments applauding LeBron’s post show, he has been supportive of those who do not get vaccinated, making things worse for all by delaying the recovery of our health and economic recovery. According to the CDC, unvaccinated people are 9 times more likely to be admitted to hospital and 14 times more likely to die from COVID than people who are vaccinated. This figure rises to 20 times compared to people who received a booster injection. By posting this misinformed meme, LeBron encouraged the reluctance to get vaccinated, which puts lives and livelihoods at risk.
Here’s the second problem with that statement: it says we’re not talking about racism, but we are. As of December 2020, about 97.9 in 100,000 African Americans had died from COVID-19, a third more than Latinos (64.7 per 100,000), and more than double than whites (46.6 per 100,000). 100,000) and Asians (40.4 per 100,000). According to an article on the United States National Library of Medicine website, “the overrepresentation of African Americans among confirmed cases of COVID-19 and the number of deaths underscores the fact that the coronavirus pandemic, far from to be a factor of equalization, amplifies, even worsens, the existing social inequalities related to race, social class and access to the health care system. “
A year later, communities of people of color are still suffering at a much higher rate than white communities. In November 2021, the CDC announced, “This highlighted that equality in health is still not a reality, as COVID-19 has unevenly affected many racial and ethnic minority groups, at greater risk of becoming ill and dying from COVID-19. A study in Atlanta showed that 79% of blacks with COVID-19 were hospitalized compared to 13% of whites. COVID-19 has resulted in a drop in life expectancy of 1.2 years among whites. In black and Latin communities, it was over 3 years.
For those who think that the Omicron variant is not as severe as the previous variants, be aware that while most people do well, they can unintentionally infect other people along the way – people. the elderly, people with weakened immune systems, people with breathing problems – who can end up in hospital or die. In addition, nearly half of people who recover from the initial illness of COVID-19 have a “long COVID”, with lingering symptoms of brain fog, shortness of breath, fatigue, dizziness and headaches.
For those who point out that there are cases in which the vaccinated contract COVID-19. Yes, but they also have milder symptoms and are much less likely to die than unvaccinated people. The crucial statistic here is: 98-99% of Americans who die from COVID-19 are unvaccinated.
The reluctance to get vaccinated is stronger in the Black community than in any other community. While there are certainly justifiable historical reasons for black people to be skeptical of the health care system that has routinely marginalized, ignored and even subjected them to illegal experiments, this is not enough to justify their compromising. their health and even lose their lives during the current health crisis.
To respond directly to LeBron’s confusion, no one thinks colds and the flu aren’t serious. During the 2019-2020 flu season, 400,000 people were hospitalized and 22,000 people died. In 2020, 385,428 people have died from COVID-19, while so far in 2021, 423,558 people have died in the United States, for a total of 808,986 deaths. Experts agree that COVID-19 is at least 10 times more deadly than the flu. As for the common cold, deaths are extremely rare.
However, LeBron, if you are concerned about the flu, then help promote the flu shot. In the 2019-2020 flu season, only 51.8% of Americans were vaccinated, well below the 70% that is the target. Worse, the vaccination rate is 20% lower for blacks than for whites, and as a result, they have the highest flu hospitalization rate of any other group. This is due to the reluctance to get the vaccine that your meme promotes.
One of the ways to help the Black community overcome hesitation and save lives is for prominent Black celebrities and influencers to continue to encourage everyone to get vaccinated and receive boosters. Immunization, whether from vaccines or from having had the disease, wears off over time and makes people vulnerable to re-infection.
If LeBron is a necessary and dynamic voice that criticizes police brutality against the black community, he must be the same necessary and dynamic advocate for vaccines, which could save thousands of black lives right now. Racism is just as real – and just as deadly – in both cases.
https://t.co/48x2GGlI71#Lebron James #COVID19
— Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (@kaj33) December 27, 2021
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