Kent Co. Latinos with COVID-19 die younger and more often – WOODTV.com

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) When Benito Sosa celebrated turning 71 on April 4, there was no sign of the virus that would rob him of birthdays to come.

But within two weeks, he fell ill with COVID-19.

By May 10, the construction and factory worker who refused to retire at 71 laid near death at Spectrum HealthButterworthHospital in Grand Rapids.

Sosas daughter, MariaGarnica Altamirano, wonders if her dad could have survived if hed gone to the hospital sooner.

But he was very stubborn. He didnt want to say, Im feeling sick. I cannot breathe, saidGarnicaAltamiranoin a Zoom interview with News 8 from her home in Chicago.

When doctors said Sosa would need a ventilator and dialysis for the rest of his life, the family made the excruciating decision to let him go.

My other sister, who is a doctor, we talk together, and we said, no more because he wont like that, saidGarnica Altamirano, referring to the ventilator and dialysis.

A nurse herself, she had traveled from Chicago to be at her dads hospital bedside at the end.

I told him, dont worry, were okay, recalledGarnicaAltamiranothrough tears.

Im sorry if we made you suffer all these days, but we thought you will make it because we know you are strong, and you dont have nothing. There is no high blood pressure, no diabetes, nothing. But right now, you can go inpeace andwell be OK. Well take care of mom.

On the record filed with the Kent County clerks office, Sosas immediate cause of death was listed as Acute Respiratory Distress System and COVID-19 pneumonia.

While there were no other significant conditions listed as contributors to Sosas death, his daughter believes he may have had undiagnosed lung problems due to working construction in Mexico, where he lived part of the year.

Shortly before his birthday, Sosa had returned to Grand Rapids and the factory job his family said he enjoyed.

He worked hard for us, saidGarnica Altamirano.

He made changes in his life because he lives in Oaxaca, Mexico. Its more of a poor place. He traveled with my mom for us to have a better life.

He succeeded.

Sosa and his wife raised seven children, all of whom hold college degrees.

Benito Sosa was one of 11 Hispanic people who died in Kent County from COVID-19 in May, according to death certificates filed with the clerks office as of Thursday.

According to the Kent County Health Department, while Latinos make up around 10% of the countys population, they have so far comprised 18% of COVID-19 deaths overall.

The disparity was even more pronounced in the month of May.

Death certificates filed with the county as of Thursday, showed one-third of COVID-19 deaths11 out of 33 occurred in the Latino population.

But the gap in infection rates is even more alarming.

While thedisproportionalityof deaths is significant, the disparity in the disease itself is even greater, wrote a health department official in an email exchange with Target 8.

Despite comprising just 10% of the countys population,KCHDreports Latinos make up 40% of confirmed COVID-19 cases.

That means there are four times more cases among the Hispanic population than we would have expected if the distribution were equal, concluded the health department employee.

Latinos are also dying at a younger age than their counterparts.

Kent County health leaders say the average age of non-Hispanics whove died from COVID-19 is 77 years old, while the average age of Hispanics is 61.

MatiasDomingo was 51 when he died from COVID-19 at Mercy Health Saint Marys on May 16.

Domingo ran a Guatemalan grocery store with his wife,Candelaria, on Burton Street, west of Division Avenue in Grand Rapids.

He was also studying to become a deacon in the Catholic Church.

It was in the deacon program that Orlando Benedict met Domingo.

He was a person youd like to have as a friend. Extremely friendly and very helpful. A person who always gave more than he received, Benedict said.

Benedict recalled that Domingo used to spend Saturdays visiting sick patients at Grand Rapids hospitals.

It was on a Saturday in one of the hospitals where Domingo once spread hopethat the aspiring deacon succumbed to COVID-19.

The grocery store is closed for now as his wife and family grieve his passing.

The record filed with the Kent County Clerks office listed the cause of Domingos death as Acute Hypoxic Respiratory Failure,AdultRespiratory Distress Syndrome, and COVID-19pneumonia.

The death certificate listed Klebsiella pneumonia and Pneumothorax as significant conditions contributing to his passing.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describedKlebsiellapneumonia as a bacterial infection that commonly occurs among sick people who are receiving treatment for other conditions for instance, patients whose care requires devices like ventilators.

According to death records, of the 12 Latinos who died in April and May (one died in April), eight had at least one other significant condition that contributed to their death but did not directly cause it.

Its unclear whereMatiasDomingo and Benito Sosa contracted COVID-19, but both had jobs that could have exposed them to the virus.

Sosa worked in a factory that produces dog food and Domingo worked in his grocery store, which remained open as an essential business during the lockdown.

Benedict said hes certain Domingo was happy to continue working to serve people in need.

Edith Reyes, a reporter with the Spanish language newspaper, ElVocero, thinks Latinos may be at higher risk because they often work jobs in essential industries like food production, foodservice and agriculture.

Reyes, also a student at Grand Valley State University, helped Target 8 connect with families for this report, visiting homes with us and translating conversations.

She said she fears for her own family too, especially her mom, who works in food production.

Her having to work, its like her having to put her life at risk, said Reyes.

Reyes noted that the Latino community has less access to health care and benefits like unemployment.

They dont have a choice to stay home and protect themselves, she said.

Some worry about their immigration status as well.

Benito Sosa came to West Michigan on a green card and was studying to take the citizenship exam.

At the end, Sosas daughter, Maria, tried to make sure her dad knew hed prepared his children well for life.

He can go inpeace andwere OK, she said tearfully.

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Kent Co. Latinos with COVID-19 die younger and more often - WOODTV.com