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CNN host Jake Tapper pressed Azar on why the U.S. has had such a high mortality rate from the virus. The virus has infected more than 1.4 million people in the U.S. and killed 88,761, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The U.S. has the highest number of COVID-19-related deaths, based on the database.

“Unfortunately, the American population is very diverse, and it is a population with significantly unhealthy comorbidities that do make many individuals in our communities — in particular, African American, minority communities — particularly at risk here because of significant underlying … health disparities and disease comorbidities, and that is an unfortunate legacy in our health care system that we certainly do need to address,” Azar said.

Azar specifically pointed to hypertension, obesity and diabetes as comorbidities that make the U.S. “at risk for any type of disease burden.”

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/498192-hhs-secretary-points-to-unhealthy-comorbidities-when-asked-about-high