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Notable Black Folks Who Have Contracted The Coronavirus

[caption id="attachment_3922658" align="alignnone" width="728"] Source: askmenow / Getty[/caption] UPDATED: 2:22 p.m. ET, July 31 -- After months of seeing the coronavirus ravage other parts of the world, COVID-19's widespread effect on the U.S. has increasingly begun to hit home for many Americans as they see as a growing number of people they know or are familiar with become diagnosed with the respiratory illness that has become a global pandemic. And after a brief spate of the fake news that Black people were somehow immune to contracting the coronavirus, a rising number of Black people have not only since been diagnosed but some have also died of complications from it. Most recently, former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain died following a brief battle with the coronavirus. He died July 30 at the age of 74. Cain, who was also the former chair of the Kansas City Federal Reserve as well as the one-time chief executive of the Godfather’s Pizza chain, was a loyal supporter of President Donald Trump. He may have contracted the coronavirus after attending a heavily attended rally for Trump without wearing a mask while surrounded by others also not wearing any personal protective equipment. https://twitter.com/THEHermanCain/status/1274489632886075398?s=20 Prior to Cain's death, college professor and media pundit Marc Lamont Hill tweeted on July 15 that he was "fighting Covid-19" and encourage anyone reading the social media post to wear personal protective equipment to prevent the disease from spreading. https://twitter.com/marclamonthill/status/1283435853746966528?s=20 It was unclear how, where and when Hill contracted COVID-19, but his tweet ruled out any "conspiracy theories." Some people have been contracting COVID-19 without displaying any symptoms, such as Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who announced on July 6 that she had tested positive while being asymptomatic. https://twitter.com/KeishaBottoms/status/1280256462674104321?s=20 It was unclear how the virus spread to Bottoms, who told MSNBC that she only decided to get tested because she and her husband were sleeping longer than normal. Bottoms' name has been increasingly mentioned as a possible choice by presumptive Democratic nominee to be his vice-presidential running mate. Mayor Bottoms' announcement followed a similar disclosure by D.L. Hughley, who was recorded fainting on stage during a performance in Nashville on June 19. https://twitter.com/brooklynluv/status/1274198718208753664?s=20 The following day, the comedian and actor released a video statement of him thanking his fans for their prayers and announcing that he had been diagnosed with COVID-19. Prior to that, Patrick Ewing, the head basketball coach at Georgetown University and NBA legend, announced on Friday, May 22, that he had tested positive for COVID-19. https://twitter.com/CoachEwing33/status/1263964626271776769?s=20 The cases have effectively shattered misconceptions about who can contract the coronavirus. Previously, it was believed that the elderly with underlying health conditions were most at risk. And while that remains true, there has seemingly been a surge of cases involving younger age groups and people who had no pre-existing health conditions before their COVID-19 diagnoses. One of the most recent cases of Black people being struck by the coronavirus was Dez-Ann Romain, a 36-year-old high school principal in Brooklyn who died this week. It was unclear if Romain had underlying health issues, but her young age went against the narrative that people who were older were most vulnerable to the coronavirus. Romain's death was reported days before a 34-year-old paramedic named Christell Cadet and a 30-year-old teacher named Rana Zoe Mungin were each hospitalized in critical condition in New York City, the epicenter of coronavirus cases in the U.S. These cases don't account for the reports of a growing number of Black people who have been diagnosed with or died of complications from the coronavirus that have seeming flooded this writer's social media timelines as friends and others grieve their loved ones across the country. One of the clearest indications that Black people could indeed contract the coronavirus came when it began to affect players in the NBA, a professional sports league that is made up of more than 74 percent of players who are Black. After that came announcements from celebrities who offered cautionary tales to the public about how they may have contracted the illness and ways to prevent others from repeating their errors. The coronavirus has also struck some of the nation's elected officials, including one prominent member of Congress who just happens to be a Black woman. Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley has been tested for the coronavirus after she reported experiencing flu-like symptoms. She was awaiting the results as of Friday. There was also an alarming report out of Milwaukee that middle-aged Black men have made up the majority of coronavirus cases in the Wisconsin city. The nation's system of prisons and jails has also been affected, leaving the disproportionate number of Black inmates increasingly susceptible to the coronavirus. That was especially true in New York, including at the infamous Rikers Island complex where CBS News reported that the coronavirus infection rate is "more than seven times higher than the rate citywide and 87 times higher than the country at large." https://twitter.com/MollyGriffard/status/1242521472083640322?s=20 In addition, the nation's police departments were at risk for the same reasons as the jails and prisons. Most recently, Donafay Collins, a commander with the Wayne County Sheriff's Office in Michigan, died following complications from the coronavirus. He was 63 years old. https://twitter.com/VickiethomasWWJ/status/1242974843072655360?s=20 More than a dozen other Wayne County Sheriff's Office employees have also been diagnosed following a pattern seen at other police departments, including the NYPD, where the New York Post reported that more than 300 cops have tested positive. Scroll down to see a list of notable Black folks who have contracted the coronavirus as the world tries to flatten the global curve of cases to restore some semblance of societal normalcy. They follow in alphabetical order.