COVID 19: Implications on Cancer Prevention, Treatment, and Care for Latinos


advancing the science of cancer in latinos proceedings covid-19 vaccine latino

This content is from the "Advancing the Science of Cancer in Latinos: 2024 Conference Proceedings." Cancer Deaths Among Latinos in the COVID-19 Era: National and State Trends Dr. Rogelio Sáenz is Professor of Sociology and Demography, Dean of the College of Public Policy, and holds the Mark G. Yudof Endowed Chair at the University of Texas at San Antonio. COVID-19 vulnerability Dr. Sáenz’s presentation began by discussing the vulnerability of people with cancer in the COVID-19 era. Over the last four years, a significant amount of research has observed the negative impact of COVID-19 on the survivability of people with cancer, along with rising numbers of cancer incidence and death due to disrupted health care. The growing Latino population is particularly vulnerable, ...

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How Health Confianza is Improving Health Literacy in San Antonio



Health literacy is defined by the CDC as “the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions.” In today’s world, health literacy is crucial for community members and health professionals, alike, to make everyday decisions and achieve health equity. However, many underserved and racial/ethnic communities around the country face barriers to health equity including access to health care, financial instability, and housing/transportation insecurity endangering their health. That is why Jason Rosenfeld, DrPH, MPH, and Melanie Stone, DrPH (c), MPH, MEd are helping build Health Confianza – a partnership between UT Health San Antonio, The University of Texas San ...

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Protect You and Your Familia by Staying Up to Date on COVID-19 and Flu Vaccines



With the summer winding down and school right around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about checking all the items off your to-do list before school is back in session.   Start the fall season on the right track by prioritizing the health of you, your family, and everyone around you by making sure you’re up to date on your vaccinations.   That’s why Salud America! is partnering with Champions for Vaccine Education, Equity and Progress (CVEEP) to remind you about the importance and benefits of being vaccinated.   To promote vaccination updates, CVEEP, convened by the Alliance for Aging Research, HealthyWomen, and the National Caucus and Center on Black Aging, is raising vaccine equity awareness by providing vaccine education and resources.  Let’s examine ...

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Salud Talks Podcast Episode 43: Preparing for the Next Pandemic



The pandemic revealed long-standing gaps in infection control knowledge and understanding among the frontline healthcare workforce. This is why CDC launched Project Firstline, a training and education collaborative designed to ensure all healthcare workers, no matter their role or educational background, have the infection control knowledge and understanding they need and deserve to protect themselves, their patients, and their coworkers. Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio, in partnership with the National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA) and CDC Project Firstline, brings you a two-part episode podcast series, “Behind the Mask,” to explore infection control. In this special Episode 43 of the Salud Talks Podcast, Dr. Jorge Moreno, assistant professor of medicine at ...

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The Surprising Level of Material Hardship for Latinos in the ‘COVID Year’



In 2020, COVID-19 shut down the world. People were forced to navigate social isolation, food shortages, business closures, virtual schooling, reduced work hours, and job loss amid the pandemic. Latino families suffered from some of the highest rates of COVID-related mortality and socioeconomic impacts, worsening Latino health inequities. With 2020 now several years past, how bad was the pandemic for Latinos? 6 in 10 (62%) Latino households with children experienced at least one material hardship in the form of housing quality, bill-paying, food insecurity, and/or medical hardship in 2020, according to a new report from the National Research Center on Hispanic Children & Families that looks back at the impact of COVID-19 on Latinos. Material Hardship in 2020 amid COVID-19 ...

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What Is Having Long COVID-19 Really Like?



It wasn’t too long ago that COVID-19 threw life into chaos. Businesses shut their doors. Food and supplies ran low. We were separated from our loved ones and trapped indoors. Hospitals dealt with rising demand. Lives were lost. Years have passed since the pandemic and we’ve tried to distance ourselves from a time when distillers halted production to make hand sanitizer, grocery stores had lanes, and smiles were hidden behind masks. However, some are still living with a constant reminder of that time. For those with Long COVID-19, time hasn’t healed the wounds of the past as they still try to recover from the physical, mental, and emotional traumas of the condition. That’s why Health Confianza — a Bexar County health literacy initiative housed at The University of Texas ...

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Dr. Carlos Salama: Protecting Latinos Against Infectious Diseases



Carlos Salama’s father helped people every day as a physician. Inspired by what he saw, Salama knew at an early age that he, too, wanted to help others the way his father did. “People were just very, very grateful for what he provided them. I thought, ‘I want to do this,’” Salama said. Salama was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Argentinian parents. Salama’s mother and father first came to the United States in the mid-1960s for his father’s residency after he completed medical school at the University of Buenos Aires. Salama recalls helping his parents and two siblings in the doctor’s office. “I used to go with my father to the office, sometimes on the weekends, and help them. My mother was the office assistant, but I would do it sometimes, and I just ...

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Study: Latino Mortality Advantage Disappeared amid COVID-19



COVID-19 “completely erased the mortality advantage” that the Latino population had compared to the White population, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Let’s dive into the new data on Latino mortality. What Is Excess Mortality? The Census Bureau refers to excess mortality as deaths from any cause above what is expected from recent mortality trends. Excess mortality is calculated as the difference between the actual mortality rate and the mortality rate expected to see in the hypothetical absence of the COVID-19 pandemic. “An additional 573,000 people died in the United States during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic but ‘excess mortality’ at the national level masks substantial variations by state, age, sex, and race and ethnicity,” ...

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Update: Coronavirus Case Rates and Death Rates for Latinos in the United States


hispanic latino child girl student home coloring work wearing face mask amid COVID-19 coronavirus

The coronavirus, COVID-19, can affect anyone. But reports show Latinos and other people of color are disproportionately affected, amid worsening historical inequities. What are the data really showing? UPDATE 3/5/24: CDC releases new COVID-19 death rates by race/ethnicity. COVID-19 Case Rates for Latinos The U.S. population recently rose to 19.1% Latino. At the outset of the pandemic, COVID-19 disproportionately sickened Latinos. Variants like Delta and Omicron sparked case surges, too. Latinos comprised 24.3% of COVID-19 cases in the United States, second only to Whites (53.8%), according to CDC data on health equity and cases on April 19, 2023. As of March 5, 2024, CDC is no longer maintaining incidence rates by race/ethnicity on this web page. Several states ...

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