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Why more coronavirus testing won’t automatically help the hardest hit

Noha Aboelata, the head of a community health centre in Oakland, California, tailors testing to suit communities of colour.
By
  1. Amy Maxmen

Coronavirus testing sites are opening across the United States, but Noha Aboelata, a doctor whose non-profit organization serves people affected by systemic inequity and poverty, says that expanded testing won’t automatically help the communities hit hardest by the coronavirus. Black Americans are dying of COVID-19 at more than twice the rate of white, Asian or Latino Americans. This disparity aligns with a broader trend of communities of colour experiencing higher rates of infant death, asthma and heart disease, among other conditions.

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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-01781-z

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

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