The New Covid Mutation Is ‘Significantly More Transmissible,’ Public Health Experts Warn

Notable Black Folks Who Have Contracted The Coronavirus

[caption id="attachment_3922658" align="alignnone" width="728"] Source: askmenow / Getty[/caption] UPDATED: 6:53 p.m. ET, Jan. 15, 2021 -- After months of seeing the coronavirus ravage other parts of the world, COVID-19's widespread effect on the U.S. has increasingly hit home for many Americans as states see as a continuous stream of people become diagnosed with the respiratory illness that turned into a global pandemic. And after a brief spate of the fake news that Black people were somehow immune to contracting the coronavirus, a steady and troubling number of Black folks -- including those who are notable and famous -- have not only since been diagnosed but many have also died of complications from it. After suffering the devastating loss of his mother from COVID-19 in 2020, NBA star Karl-Anthony Towns announced he tested positive on Friday. "Prior to tonight's game, I received yet another awful call that I tested positive for COVID. I will immediately isolate and follow every protocol," the 25-year-old Minnesota Timberwolves center shared on Twitter. https://twitter.com/KarlTowns/status/1350223070376595460?s=20 "I pray every day that this nightmare of a virus will subside and I beg everyone to continue to take it seriously by taking all of the necessary precautions. We cannot stop the spread of this virus alone, it must be a group effort by all of us," he continued. Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley's husband Conan Harris tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday days after he was placed in lockdown with his wife during the mob attack on Capitol Hill last week, CBS Boston reports. Pressley has tested negative. Harris was in the nation's capitol accompanying Pressley for her swearing-in ceremony after she won her re-election in November. On Wednesday Pressley thanked her supporters for well wishes on Twitter. "Thank you for your notes of care and concern. I'm deeply frustrated my husband & staff were put in this position. We're thinking of all the families across the nation impacted by COVID & the Jan. 6 attack. We wont' stop fighting for accountability & relief," she tweeted. https://twitter.com/AyannaPressley/status/1349476568016547840?s=20 Tim Lester, a former NFL star who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Los Angeles Rams, and Dallas Cowboys, died on Jan. 12 from COVID-19 complications. He was 52. https://twitter.com/SteeIerNation/status/1349102284974780417?s=20 New Jersey congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman announced she was diagnosed with the coronavirus on Monday. Watson Coleman, a cancer survivor, shared she believes she was exposed to COVID-19 last Wednesday during the U.S. Capitol attack, as several of her colleagues refused to wear a mask. Later on Monday she updated her followers letting them know that she was on her way to the hospital to seek an antibody treatment. https://twitter.com/RepBonnie/status/1348744425862799362?s=20 Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin, has been hospitalized with COVID-19 pneumonia, the Alabama city announced. The 39-year-old had been experiencing mild symptoms and was self-quarantined until his hospitalization, AL.com reported. Scroll down to read more about Woodfin's condition. https://twitter.com/cityofbhamal/status/1346307569854328833?s=20 Legendary actor Louis Gossett Jr., was diagnosed with the coronavirus but left his local hospital this week out of fear, where he saw a series of COVID-related deaths during his stay according to TMZ. The Oscar winner checked out on Tuesday after staff reportedly begged him to stay out concern for his health. Gossett is 84-years-old and a cancer survivor. He is currently at home isolating under the care of his son. His supporters are asking people to share encouraging messages on social media using the hashtag, #LoveLetterToLou. [caption id="attachment_4070862" align="alignnone" width="708"] Source: Bob Riha Jr / Getty[/caption] Wisconsin Rep. Gwen Moore announced Monday that she tested positive for the coronavirus. The Democratic Congresswoman said that while she was "feeling well," she cautioned people to take the proper precautions. https://twitter.com/RepGwenMoore/status/1343675101972226049?s=20 Previously, Joe Biden adviser Rep. Cedric Richmond tested positive for the coronavirus. He later tested positive for a second time and planned to isolate for 14 days to recover. Richardson travelled to Georgia as well as the president-elect, but was not in close contact. Biden ultimately tested negative. https://twitter.com/scottwongDC/status/1339707399809216522?s=20 Olympic gold medalist Arnie Robinson Jr. died on Dec. 2 from complications relating to COVID-19 at age 72. Robinson was known as one of the greatest long jumpers in history. https://twitter.com/nytsports/status/1339195601670590464?s=12 Country music legend Charley Pride and actress Carole Sutton died after contracting the coronavirus. Scroll down to read more about them. https://twitter.com/ava/status/1337562418319265792?s=20 https://twitter.com/violadavis/status/1338143169595236354?s=20 Formula One superstar Lewis Hamilton tested positive for the coronavirus, according to CBS News. Hamilton will have to sit out the Sakhir Grand Prix in Bahrain. He was tested three times last week which all resulted negative, with the last test taking place on Sunday. "But he up woke Monday morning with mild symptoms and was informed at the same time that a contact prior to arrival in Bahrain had subsequently tested positive," the Mercedes team said in a released statement. "Lewis, therefore, took a further test and returned a positive result. This has since been confirmed by a retest." [caption id="attachment_4057716" align="alignnone" width="738"] Source: Mario Renzi - Formula 1 / Getty[/caption] It was in that context that it was announced Nov. 9 that Ben Carson, the world-renowned health physician who is also the Housing and Urban Development secretary, has tested positive for the coronavirus. Word spread quickly on social media about Carson's diagnosis. The health disclosure came just days after Donald Trump's election loss was made official on Saturday, a truth that also affects Carson's role in the presidential administration that's being brought to a close by Joe Biden's successful candidacy. https://twitter.com/jemelehill/status/1325838108349222912?s=20 Carson is the latest Trump insider to test positive for the coronavirus. Scroll down here to read more about Carson contracting the Covid-19. Prior to that, Vivica A. Fox announced the 56-year-old actress made the announcement ahead of her hosting duties for the E! network's live coverage of the red-carpet pre-Emmy Awards show in September. “I am terribly sorry I cannot be with my E! family tonight!” Fox said in a statement. “Unfortunately, I have tested positive for coronavirus. So, in an abundance of caution, I am isolating myself at home.” https://twitter.com/KolaBoof3/status/1307830756484345857?s=20 It was immediately unclear how Fox contracted the coronavirus. Luckily, that wasn't the case for Hollywood superstar Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who announced that he, his wife and their two young daughters had all tested positive for the coronavirus. While he said they had all recovered, he also admitted on an Instagram video that he and his wife "had a rough go" with COVID-19 and encouraged people to wear masks so they don't meet the same fate that he and his family did. His daughters are 2- and 4-years-old. [caption id="attachment_4007483" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Source: NBC / Getty[/caption] Other notable Black folks who contracted the coronavirus include former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain, who died from it in July; Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms; comedian D.L. Hughley; and even basketball legend Patrick Ewing came down with it. The diagnoses 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. The 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. There was also an alarming report out of Milwaukee at the start of the pandemic showing 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.