Ohio state Sen. Steve Huffman (R) stimulated anger today as he considered why “the colored population” is more vulnerable to contracting the coronavirus.

Huffman, an emergency clinic doctor, asked the offensive concern throughout an Ohio Senate Health Committee hearing on Tuesday to identify whether the state ought to state bigotry a public health crisis.

“I understand that African Americans have a higher incidence of prior conditions and it makes them more susceptible to death from COVID,” Huffman stated. “But why it does not make them more susceptible just to get COVID?”

He continued: “We know it’s twice as often. Correct? Could it just be that African Americans or the colored population do not wash their hands as well as other groups? Or wear a mask? Or do not socially distance themselves? Could that just be maybe the explanation of why there’s a higher incidence?”

Take a look at Huffman’s remarks from the 49: 40 mark in the video here.

“That is not the opinion of leading medical experts in this country,” reacted Angela Dawson, the director of the Ohio Commission on Minority Health.

Dawson, who is Black, stated the reasons some populations are more susceptible to COVID-19 than others would not be discovered in handwashing information. Rather, it was preexisting variations in persistent conditions and healthcare, she stated.

Around 33% of people who have actually been hospitalized with the contagion in the United States are Black, according to the Centers for Illness Control and Avoidance.

“Current data suggest a disproportionate burden of illness and death among racial and ethnic minority groups,” the CDC notes on its website.

Huffman’s remarks were increasingly condemned by Ohio Democrats and people on Twitter.

State Rep. Stephanie Howse (D) informed the Dayton Daily News that Huffman had actually highlighted “what racism is from a systematic perspective.” State Sen. Cecil Thomas (D) stated Huffman is “an example of why we have to have this discussion about racism and how it impacts people.”

Huffman later on tried to clarify his remarks, reported The Columbus Dispatch, stating he ‘d asked the concern “in an unintentionally awkward way that was perceived as hurtful and was exactly the opposite of what I meant.”

“I was trying to focus on why COVID-19 affects people of color at a higher rate since we really do not know all the reasons,” he added.

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