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KPBS Midday Edition

Chicano Federation: County's COVID-19 Outreach To Latinos Lacks Urgency

A San Diego county employee explains the testing process to a person with an appointment at a San Diego County COVID 19 testing station by the SDCCU Stadium on May 18, 2020.
Matthew Bowler
/
KPBS
A San Diego county employee explains the testing process to a person with an appointment at a San Diego County COVID-19 testing station by the SDCCU Stadium on May 18, 2020.

This week, San Diego County health officials launched a new outreach campaign for COVID-19 to help address the disproportionate impact the virus has had on the Latino community.

In San Diego County, Latinos make up 34% of the population, but 61% of infections, and 45% of the deaths.

The county also said it added testing sites in the South Bay and hired more contact tracers to work in underserved communities.

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RELATED: San Diego County Launches Latino Outreach Campaign For COVID-19

But the Chicano Federation, a social services and advocacy organization, said the county's approach is a step in the right direction but not enough.

"Despite these actions and solutions, we're still not seeing a response from our county leadership that shows the right level of urgency. These devastating numbers are the consequence of systemic inequities leading to disastrous outcomes for San Diego’s Latino community. People's lives are at stake; we urge our leaders to do more," Nancy Maldonado, CEO of the Chicano Federation said in a statement.

Maldonado joined Midday Edition on Thursday to talk about what else county leaders can do to respond.