Oprah Winfrey raises her voice over COVID-19's 'deadly' impact on black America

Oprah Winfrey is raising her voice for the repercussions that have come about for the African American community in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

As the infectious disease sweeps the world and holds a majority of the world’s population hostage within their homes, the media mogul centered her latest episode of Oprah Talks COVID-19 series on the black community in America.

Speaking about the pandemic’s deadly impact on the marginalized group, the actor and talk show host said on her Twitter earlier: “This coronavirus is shaking up the world. I hope you’ll join me to understand why COVID-19 is having such a deadly impact on black America as I speak to leaders in our community and family members who are having to bury their dead alone.”

Nearly 33 percent of confirmed coronavirus cases hailed from black communities, as per US government data, despite African Americans making only 13 percent of the country’s population.

Talking to CBS news, Winfrey said: "When this was happening in Wuhan, we thought it was 'over there'… and then I talked to African Americans in Milwaukee, and folks were saying 'we heard about it in Washington, but Washington is way over there, we didn't think it had anything to do with us'.”

She went on to say that it was crucial for "black people to comprehend pre-existing conditions" that includes diabetes and asthma that heightens their risk of contraction.

The philanthropist herself is also taking added precautionary measures, as she suffered from pneumonia last year.

The reason why African Americans may be hit harder by the virus than the rest was explained by Surgeon General Jerome Adams who said that ethnic minorities are at a greater risk owing to their pre-existing health issues.

He also added that financial ramifications may also shake the minority groups more because of the low income jobs where working from home would not be possible.