Filipino Americans are dying of coronavirus infection at higher rates, revealing issues in public health treatment and healthcare for Asian Americans.
On March 10, Loretta Mendoza Dionisio became the first person in Los Angeles County known to have died of COVID-19.
Data compiled by The Times have shown that preexisting health conditions and occupational hazards are among factors that contribute to the high number of Filipino American deaths during the pandemic. Most of those who died were older than 60, and many had diabetes and hypertension. Many were retired, living in multigenerational housing with their children or in nursing homes. Younger victims worked essential jobs, providing healthcare, working in law enforcement and at grocery stores.
According to Dr. Melinda Bender, who specializes in health intervention work for Filipino Americans at San Francisco State University, Filipinos have relatively high rates of obesity, high blood pressure and heart disease, all of which are associated with more serious cases of COVID-19. Another factor: In California, almost a fifth of registered nurses are Filipino, putting them at greater risk while on the frontlines in hospitals and nursing homes. They also tend to work in the ICU, acute care and surgical units, where COVID-19 patients are treated. This combination of working essential jobs while having underlying health conditions increases the risk of contracting more serious infections of COVID-19.
In the Midwest, the Filipino Consulate in Chicago tracked 17 Filipino American deaths. Half of the victims had been working in healthcare. “Nursing intrinsically requires being in close quarters with patients, and there is no way you can do six-feet social distancing,” said Dr. VJ Periyakoil, the director at the Stanford Aging and Ethnogeriatrics Research Center, which examines ethnicity and health.
The family is unsure how Aguilo contracted the virus, but she began exhibiting symptoms three days after her last dialysis treatment. In the small, two-bedroom home in a retirement community she shared with her parents and sister, her mom would wear a mask and try to take care of her as best as she could.
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