HAYNEVILLE, Ala. (AP) — Sparsely populated Lowndes County has the sad distinction of having both Alabama's highest rate of COVID-19 cases and its worst unemployment rate.
The county and nearby poor, mostly black counties in rural Alabama were initially spared as the disease ravaged cities, but are now they are facing an increase in confirmed infections.
Experts say that's creating a “perfect storm” in areas that lack access to medical care and have high rates of poverty and the attendant health problems, including hypertension, heart disease and diabetes, that can worsen the outcomes for those who become sick with the coronavirus.
