The Coronavirus is Getting Ready to Devastate the South

Poverty, conservatism, science denialism will help spread COVID-19

nwyPhoto by Markus Spiske (Unsplash)

As the coronavirus ripples across the United States, we’re witnessing how different states are reacting to it. The first reported case was in Washington. But now, California seems to be “flattening the curve,” as it was quick to shut down large population centers such as the Los Angeles metro area and the Bay Area. New York is faring much worse. At one point, New York recorded about 1,000 fatalities in a day.

But now the virus is spreading to the Midwest and southern states. Louisiana recently topped 1,000 coronavirus deaths. The virus is likely to kill thousands of people in the Heartland and the South but these regions are ill-prepared to handle the disease.

Here are the reasons why:

The South Was Already Unhealthy

It’s common knowledge that southern states such as Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama have some of the most unhealthy people in the nation…