Amid the COVID-19 international pandemic, we continue to hear and see so much information that has led some of us to take extreme caution when carrying out our day-to-day tasks, duties, and routines, while some others continue to act as if the virus does not exist. The virus is very real to me because just over two months ago, both my parents tested positive for COVID-19.

Like many other relatives of COVID-19 patients, my two brothers and I are thankful that our love ones are alive, especially because six of the residents at the assisted-living facility where they reside have passed on. It has been very difficult witnessing from six hours away, their resilience through consciousness and unconsciousness, high spirits and weakness, fighting for their lives through infections and pneumonia to live another week, another day, and at times, even another hour. We can only communicate with them over the phone, or briefly via Facetime or Zoom, when there is a caring nurse who goes out of his or her way to schedule a time for us to speak with them. Additionally, since their positive diagnosis, every day for at least two or three times a day, we have collaborated with numerous doctors, nurses, physical therapists, social workers, and dieticians to get reports and ask questions, so that they receive the best care possible. We are eternally grateful for the healthcare workers at Forrest General, Wesley Medical Center, and the Marion County Hospital, who continuously risks their own health in order to serve others. After experiencing the impact of COVID-19 up close and personal, I felt compelled to communicate the importance of getting tested, especially among the Black Community.

While we continue to hear and see statistics about COVID-19 diagnosis and related death in the news, the reality is, what we have witnessed is only a drop in the bucket compared to what is to come. According to the New York Times, currently, only 3% of the entire United States population has been tested for COVID-19. Therefore, the truth is that the number of individuals who actually have COVID-19 is much higher than what has been documented and reported because 97% of the people in America have not been tested. In the black community, just as we are often apprehensive about going to get tested for high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, and HIV/AIDS, we are reluctant to get tested for COVID-19, even when its free. Please go and get tested whether you have symptoms or not! Knowing your COVID-19 status is essential to your health and the health of others.

While it is true that an individual, who contracts COVID-19 has a better chance of recovering than dying, the probability is not as good when you are black. Pre-existing conditions put black Americans more at risk to death from COVID-19. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control reports that black brothers and sisters account for 70% of COVID-19 deaths. Another major reason why higher percentages of Black individuals die from COVID-19 is because too many of us don’t have health insurance and if we do have good health insurance, there are often financial challenges concerning co-pays and coverage percentages. By law, healthcare professionals must diagnose and treat a sick patient. However, the kind of insurance one has or the lack thereof determines the type and level of care that one will receive. Personally, my brothers and I have seen how having Medicare and having the best supplemental insurance plans in place makes a difference in the quality of treatment my parents have received. Because they are over 65 and have great insurance benefits, they have received certain medical procedures, physical and breathing therapies, and consultations that they would not have otherwise received. Also, we have been highly engaged, have raised concerns and have communicated that we are well aware of our parents’ medical and legal rights, especially in instances when social workers have tried to demand that they be removed prematurely, in an effort to bring in another patient to fill another bed to make more money. So, it’s a good idea to be very knowledgeable about COVID-19 and to have insurance coverage. Also, know what your insurance covers, and if there is a co-pay before you are able to receive care. It could make the difference in being admitted into the hospital for further care or instead given juice and ibuprofen and then sent home to self-isolate.

But even with the best health insurance, it’s a proven fact that Black people and some other minorities are often not given the best care because of racism. During this time, we have seen how racism can play a big part in how individuals are cared for and the kind of treatment they receive. In fact, there are several cases in the news where black people have been turned away from the hospital, only later to go home and die. Case and point, USA Today reported that Gary Fowler, a Detroit native, begged for coronavirus tests from three Detroit hospitals, only to be turned away and sent home, where he died. While the majority of the doctors and nurses have been very accommodating and culturally sensitive, there was one who was basically going to let our father die. His demeanor was horrible. He was very mean, very nonchalant, and didn’t return our calls. Ultimately, we reported him to the head administrator and all medical and professional organizations of which he is affiliated. Had we not been empowered individuals and known how or with whom to share our concerns, it is very possible that he would have continued treating other patients and their family members in the same manner. Moreover, our father may not have been alive today. Sadly, respect is not always given, but must be earned, even in the healthcare field. It is very important for health-care workers to be culturally sensitive. It is equally important to be intelligent enough to respectfully collaborate with care providers, to know patients’ rights and what specific questions to ask.

The complexities relating to COVID-19 are extremely challenging, which is why it is disheartening to look at news reports and to sign onto social media and view men, women, and innocent children ignoring the facts, and engaging in habits that are detrimental to their overall well-being and that of others. We must understand that COVID-19 droplets can travel up to 26 feet and linger in the air for more than eight minutes. Six feet is the LEAST distance that COVID-19 droplets can travel. And even when people don’t die from the virus, it can have a detrimental impact on their eyes, kidneys, other organs and functions of the body. Nevertheless, some people are still attending graveside services in large numbers, having parties and other celebrations, getting their hair and their nails done, and participating in face-to-face church services without wearing masks and/or without practicing social distancing. By engaging in such practices that experts have advised against, not only are we risking our own lives, but the lives of our mothers, fathers, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. When I see people ignoring the science, I often wonder about their thought processes and ask questions like, “Why are some of us still relying on fast food restaurants when we are not sure whether or not the cooks and the servers are COVID -19 free? Is there a burger, a piece of chicken, seafood, or a drink that is worth dying for? Why do the people who continue to get their hair and nails done continue to prioritize their sense of beauty over life itself? Then there are my concerns about ministers and congregants who are still promoting in-person church services.

In my mere opinion, anyone who is holding or engaging in face-to-face church services during this pandemic is pitting religion against science. They don’t realize that they are putting their own lives and the lives of others in extreme danger. They are not innocently exercising faith, but instead testing God much in the same manner that Satan tempted Jesus when he said to Him, “If You are the Son of God throw Yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will give His angels charge concerning You’; and ‘On their hands they will bear You up, lest You strike Your foot against a stone.’” Jesus then said to him, “On the other hand, it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” (Matthew 4:5-7)

Ministers are supposed to be spiritual leaders who are concerned with the mental, physical, spiritual, economic, and emotional well-being of their congregants. Physically, it is more important to protect the flock than to lead them into danger. Attending a church service inside a building is a social gathering. Since the health experts have warned against social gatherings, why would ministers go against the advice of health experts and continue to put themselves and innocent people in harm’s way? What are their motives? Is it money? Then why not trust God to provide as He did when he reigned manna and quail from Heaven? Or is it politics? By now, we should all know that no political figure from the White House to the governor’s mansion to the city council is going to save us and neither should we look to them to do so. Do they get satisfaction from testing God? It’s certainly not faith. Its ignorance and rebellion. Religion and science are not enemies in fact, they actually complement each other. God lives in the minds and hearts of janitors, trash collectors, doctors, lawyers, scientists, and teachers, just as He does in the hearts and minds of ministers, deacons, musicians, and missionaries. Why do some congregants blindly, ignorantly, and willfully continue to follow pastors who put them in harm’s way? Do they not realize that if they are exposed to and contract COVID-19 at church, the same pastors who urge them to come congregate inside of a building cannot and will not visit them if and when they become ill? Moreover, they will not pay for their medical treatment or for their funeral expenses. Love God, yourself, and your family more than you love your pastor!

From a spiritual standpoint, God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. This pandemic has presented an opportunity for each of us to grow closer to God through His word, through prayer, and through meditation. I suggest that we engage in online church services and activities that will help us grow. More than that, we should spend more one-on-one time with God, seeking Him for ourselves. Just as Moses told the elders of Israel to “take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the door frames of the houses so that the sickness would pass over the houses with blood on their doors,” we should also take our anointing oil and anoint the doors of our homes and each member of our families. Also from a scientific stance, in my opinion, when in public and in our respective communities, we should assume that everyone has COVID-19. We should follow the experts who have advised us to stay home as much as possible, to leave only when it is only absolutely necessary, to wear masks when we are outside, and to always stay at least 6 ft away from individuals we encounter. It is more important to delay gratification and participate in practices that will save our lives, the lives our mates, our family members, and our friends, rather than to participate in activities that lead to more positive COVID-19 diagnosis and ultimately more deaths, especially among our black communities. STAY WOKE! STAY SAFE! STAY HOME!


Edith Mechelle McLendon-Dzoole, Ph.D.,  is a 1984 graduate of Waynesboro Central High School, a 1986 graduate of JCJC, a 1992 graduate of USM (B.S), a 1995 graduate of the University of Mississippi (M.Ed.), and a 2011 graduate of Mississippi State University (Ph.D.).