Pacific Islanders and Alaska Natives only represent 1% of Alaska’s population, but their likelihood of contracting Covid-19 is disproportionately higher. They are also the most likely to die from the virus. For this story, I want to explore the causes for the sharp difference and whether the hospitalization rate is also higher for NHPI. The length would be approximately 600 words.
Potential sources:
Alaska Chief Medical Officer Anne Zink
President of the Polynesian Association of Alaska
NHPI COVID-19 Data Policy Lab at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research
Ninez A. Ponce, PhD, MPP Director, UCLA Center for Health Policy Research