Reyes, Maritza Vasquez

Orientation

We have all been impacted by the latest pandemic of COVID-19. However, the pandemic’s effect and
effects are felt differently depending on our person and societal position. While some attempt to adjust
to working online, homeschooling their children, and ordering food via Instacart, others are forced to be
infected in order to keep society running. Our various social identities and the social classes to which we
belong decide our social inclusion and, therefore, our susceptibility to epidemics.

COVID-19 is causing widespread death. As of October 10, 2020, more than 7.7 million people had tested
positive for COVID-19 in every state and territory in the United States and its four territories. According
to the New York Times database, the virus has killed at least 213,876 people in the United States. [ 1 ]
However, these disturbing statistics only tell half of the story; a closer examination of data by various
social identities (such as class, gender, age, ethnicity, and medical history) reveals that minorities have
been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. In the United States, these minorities’ right to health
is being violated.

According to the World Health Organization’s study Closing the Gap in a Generation: Health Equity
through Action on the Social Determinants of Health, “poor and unequal living conditions are the result
of deeper systemic conditions that shape how communities are organized—poor social policies and
services, inequitable economic structures, and bad politics.”

[ 2 ] This toxic cocktail of factors is disproportionately impacting African American communities in the
United States, as early news on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic indicated. Although I understand
that the pandemic has had and continues to have devastating effects on other minority groups, space
constraints prevent me from exploring the impact on other minority groups in this essay.

By applying a human rights lens to this research, we can convert needs and social problems into rights,
focusing our attention on the wider sociopolitical systemic context as the source of social problems.
Human rights emphasize the intrinsic value and equality of all citizens, who are the primary holders of
rights. [3] Governments (and other social actors such as corporations) bear the primary responsibility for
respecting, protecting, and implementing human rights. [3] Human rights are inextricably linked to the
social contexts in which they are understood, asserted, applied, and fulfilled. Specifically, social rights,
which include the right to health, can serve as critical resources for advancing people’s democracy and
improving their capacity to participate fully in society. [4] Such a view of social rights directs our
attention to the principle of equality, which necessitates a stronger focus on “solidarity” and the
“collective.” [6] Additionally, the fulfillment of social rights is not optional in order to foster equity, unity,
and social integration. [7] To achieve social integration, social policies must represent a commitment to
respect and protect the most disadvantaged people and to establishing the conditions necessary for the
realization of economic and social rights for all.