With the realities of the coronavirus pandemic’s disproportionate effect on America’s black communities becoming more apparent with each passing day, NFL star Malcolm Jenkins has shared a video telling African Americans that “we must look out for ourselves”.

Jenkins started the video by thanking America’s emergency services. “Thank you to all of our first responders, our doctors and nurses who are on the front lines,” said Jenkins, a two-time Super Bowl champion. “You are our heroes. We thank you, we pray for you, we owe you a great debt.

#dearblackpeople We are the most impacted, yet the focus of resources aren’t being invested in us. We cannot wait for a government that has NEVER prioritized us. We must look out for ourselves. Take care of you first, share resources, protect the elderly, and stay home! pic.twitter.com/Gcc6kJBC4U — Malcolm Jenkins (@MalcolmJenkins) April 11, 2020

The 32-year-old, who is one of the most visible political activists in US sports, then addressed the black community. “This message is for my black brothers and sisters: We must survive. This pandemic is real and the damage that is left in the wake of the coronavirus is realized mostly in our communities,” he said. “Bad policy, institutional neglect and overexposure place us disproportionately in arm’s reach of the dangers of this deadly virus.

“We are the essential worker. We are the most impacted. Yet the focus of the resources aren’t being invested in us. We cannot wait for a government that has never prioritized us; we must look out for ourselves. So take care of you first, share your resources, protect the elderly and stay home as much as possible. Please stay safe, stay healthy and survive. Because whether they know it or not, the world needs us – and we need us.”

Jenkins is in his second stint with the the New Orleans Saints in Louisiana, where he started his career. The state is one of the centers of the pandemic in the US, and Covid-19 has had a particularly devastating effect on the black community. “Slightly more than 70% of [coronavirus] deaths in Louisiana are African Americans,” the state’s governor, John Bel Edwards, said last week. “That deserves more attention and we’re going to have to dig into that to see what we can do to slow that down.”

Those figures are particularly stark given that approximately 32% of Louisiana’s population is black. The numbers are similar in Chicago, where 30% of the population is black but 70% of those who have died of Covid-19 have been black. Latino communities have also been disproportionately affected by the virus, while white and Asian communities have generally been underrepresented in death rates.

Various theories have been presented as to why black and Hispanic people have suffered higher death rates during the pandemic in the US. They include the fact that black and Latinx people are less likely to be able to work from home, have less access to health insurance and good healthcare and are more likely to have underlying health issues.