There are major strides being taken by government officials to quell the spread of COVID-19 and hopefully end the quarantine, but the number of confirmed cases continues to grow. Daily we read news stories about people who have lost their lives to coronavirus and in a recent interview with The Real, Papoose shared that he lost two family members, a cousin and an uncle, during this pandemic.
“Unfortunately one of my cousins passed away [from] coronavirus,” the rapper said. When speaking about his uncle he revealed that another condition played a part in his death but hospitals didn't treat him quickly enough due to the pandemic. “He wasn’t feeling well [and] he went to the emergency room. Long story short, the hospitals are so focused on COVID-19 that people who have issues, they’re not really catering to them. So, it was kind of a neglect thing, but you can’t really question God’s plan.”
Papoose's wife Remy Ma also spoke about why she believes Black and Brown communities are being affected by the pandemic more so than others. “If you have any pre-existing conditions, that’s what really exacerbates [COVID-19] and a lot of people in the African American and Latino community don’t have good health care, don’t have a primary care [doctor], [and] they don’t even have the sense of going to the doctor," said Remy.
She added that she personally knows people who live their lives in pain but don't have healthcare because they can't afford it. Remy also said that when it comes to Black women, "They don’t even take our pain seriously. We’re the most misdiagnosed and undiagnosed." Watch their interview with The Real below.