Peninsula 360 Press
Farmers are among the most essential workers in the state of California, as it is thanks to their tireless efforts that residents are able to enjoy their daily meals, however, given the low wages they receive, they may be paying with their lives, as they are unable to afford Covid-19 treatments.
Due to the nature of their work, farmers, most of whom (between 60% and 80%) are undocumented, often work without any personal protective equipment, resulting in their exposure to the coronavirus.
So said the director of the Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), David E. Hayes-Bautista, who noted that these essential workers are paid very little and rarely have health insurance.
During the videoconference "Costs for medical care for Covid-19," conducted by Ethnic Media Services, the professor of medicine at Ethnic Media Services said that those who become infected with Covid-19 often have to pay for medical expenses out of their own pocket.
And, he said, if a farm worker is infected with Covid-19, the cost of monthly treatment with Remdesivir can reach $3,120, which is equivalent to more than two full months of income, since their average monthly salary is $1,500.
"Because they rarely have health insurance to be able to afford this treatment, a California farmworker would have to go without food, housing and transportation for two months. Otherwise, they would be financially burdened by this medical debt and could leave their family in poverty," he said.
According to the study "Covid-19: Who Can Afford the Cost of Care," which Dr. Hayes-Bautista led, most of these people could starve to death after 40 days without food.
He added that the average monthly household income of Latinos in the U.S. is $5,441, so the out-of-pocket cost of a Remdesivir treatment would be a little more than half (57%) of that amount.
In that regard, he noted that approximately 95% of non-Hispanic white households have health insurance that could cover most or all of the cost of treatment, since their average monthly income is $7,090, so spending on that same treatment would be less than half (44%) of their monthly income.
And if treatment for Covid-19 with Remdesivir is unaffordable for many, access to a future vaccine will be even more so, since primary distribution, he said, will prioritize citizens and people with legal immigration status.
Therefore, he said, farmworkers, "the unknowing backbone of California's economy, whose efforts feed each and every one of us," need to be protected.
She also stressed that these workers need access to adequate protective equipment, testing and public health education, as well as affordable health care services, regardless of their immigration status.
Hayes-Bautista noted that the Latino community has the highest rates of Covid-19 infection in the country, and when they go to a doctor they arrive with severe symptoms, so their recovery requires more treatment, and therefore a greater outlay of money.
The expert said that the treatment to which President Donald Trump had access, after testing positive for the virus and presenting strong symptoms, is beyond the reach of most people of Latino and African descent communities.
While the politicization of facemask use has caused many to stop using protection, there has been a spike in Covid-19 cases in many parts of the United States.
Finally, he noted that the holiday season is about to begin, and the Latino community tends to gather to celebrate, so he called to keep a healthy distance, use masks, maintain personal hygiene, wash their hands constantly, and preferably conduct their meetings in open or well ventilated places so that there can be good air circulation.
On the other hand, during the virtual meeting, Denise Octavia Smith, executive director of the National Association of Community Health Workers, pointed out the importance of supporting this type of workers because they do great work at the local level to support, especially in marginalized communities that need access to medical services.
And in the entire country, only the states of Massachusetts and California pay these community workers, who are mostly women of color from the Latino, African American, Asian Pacific Islander, and Asian Pacific Islander communities, who are often survivors who have experience on the front lines of the medical field.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, he said, community health workers have worked with limited resources and even little protection, as they receive no funds to help purchase materials.
