Republicans are accusing the Biden administration of racism — against white people
instructing providers that “non-white race or Hispanic/Latino ethnicity” should be considered a risk factor for Covid-19 because “longstanding systemic health and social inequities have contributed to an increased risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19.”
“This policy is trying to combat racial and ethnic disparities that are already happening,” explained Taison Bell, a doctor and assistant professor of medicine at the University of Virginia’s division of infectious diseases. “But it’s perceived as an attack. Well, I can’t think of any victory for racial equality that didn’t upset some folks.”
“It is a huge vulnerability for anyone that does this,” said Hans von Spakovsky, senior legal fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation. “Any elected official, whether they are a Democrat or Republican, who goes along with this or approves this is going to face the wrath of voters everywhere.” “We saw that critical race theory had been creeping into our public schools, and the dam broke in a kind of response, as we saw in the Virginia elections,” Severino said. “Parents, once they found out, said they had enough of it and if the same move starts happening in health care, you will see the same visceral reaction.”