THERMAL_AJ0 ,_PUN Calif._NP0 —_PUN Her_DPS lungs_NN2 aching_VVG with_PRP each_DT0 breath_NN1 ,_PUN Blanca_NP0 Quintero_NP0 ,_PUN a_AT0 53-year-old_AJ0 cancer_NN1 survivor_NN1 ,_PUN sought_VVD care_NN1 for_PRP the_AT0 coronavirus_NN1 from_PRP physicians_NN2 almost_AV0 two_CRD hours_NN2 away_AV0 in_PRP Mexicali_NP0 ,_PUN Mexico_NP0 ,_PUN because_CJS her_PNP calls_VVZ to_PRP doctors_NN2 here_AV0 went_VVD unanswered_AJ0 ._SENT Was_VBD she_PNP being_VBG overlooked_VVN in_PRP the_AT0 flurry_NN1 of_PRF the_AT0 winter_NN1 surge_NN1 or_CJC simply_AV0 ignored_VVN ,_PUN another_DT0 instance_NN1 of_PRF the_AT0 mistreatment_NN1 she_PNP and_CJC other_AJ0 Latino_NN1 patients_NN2 have_VHB faced_VVN as_PRP Spanish-speaking_AJ0 immigrants_NN2 ,_PUN she_PNP wondered_VVD ._SENT Was_VBD the_AT0 risk_NN1 of_PRF venturing_VVG across_PRP the_AT0 border_NN1 worth_PRP it_PNP ?_SENT Yes_ITJ ._SENT Even_AV0 as_CJS the_AT0 virus_NN1 tried_VVD claiming_VVG Quintero_NP0 as_PRP a_AT0 casualty_NN1 ,_PUN it_PNP infected_VVD her_DPS son_NN1 ,_PUN husband_NN1 and_CJC grandson_NN1 —_PUN infections_NN2 Quintero_NP0 believes_VVZ she_PNP carried_VVD into_PRP their_DPS home_NN1 ._SENT At_PRP last_ORD count_NN1 ,_PUN 15_CRD friends_NN2 and_CJC family_NN1 members_NN2 have_VHB been_VBN taken_VVN from_PRP Quintero_NP0 's_POS life_NN1 by_PRP the_AT0 coronavirus_NN1 ._SENT "_PUQ People_NN0 get_VVB to_PRP the_AT0 point_NN1 of_PRF where_AVQ my_DPS uncle_NN1 was_VBD ._SENT He_PNP waited_VVD until_CJS he_PNP could_VM0 n't_XX0 breathe_VVI any_DT0 longer_AV0 ,_PUN "_PUQ she_PNP said_VVD ._SENT "_PUQ That_DT0 's_VBZ when_AVQ they_PNP want_VVB to_TO0 look_VVI for_PRP help_NN1 ._SENT "_PUQ Throughout_PRP the_AT0 pandemic_AJ0 ,_PUN the_AT0 coronavirus_NN1 has_VHZ disproportionately_AV0 carved_VVN a_AT0 path_NN1 through_PRP the_AT0 nation_NN1 's_POS Latino_NN1 neighborhoods_NN2 ,_PUN as_CJS it_PNP has_VHZ in_PRP African_AJ0 American_AJ0 ,_PUN Native_AJ0 American_AJ0 and_CJC Pacific_NP0 Islander_NP0 communities_NN2 ._SENT The_AT0 death_NN1 rate_NN1 in_PRP those_DT0 communities_NN2 of_PRF COVID-19_NN1 ,_PUN the_AT0 illness_NN1 caused_VVN by_PRP the_AT0 virus_NN1 ,_PUN is_VBZ at_PRP least_AV0 double_AJ0 that_DT0 of_PRF whites_NN2 and_CJC Asian_AJ0 Americans_NN2 ,_PUN federal_AJ0 data_NN0 shows_VVZ ._SENT Even_AV0 more_AV0 stunning_AJ0 :_PUN the_AT0 deadly_AJ0 efficiency_NN1 with_PRP which_DTQ the_AT0 virus_NN1 has_VHZ targeted_VVN Latinos_NN2 in_PRP their_DPS 30s_CRD and_CJC 40s_CRD ._SENT In_PRP California_NP0 ,_PUN which_DTQ has_VHZ the_AT0 nation_NN1 's_POS largest_AJS Hispanic_AJ0 population_NN1 ,_PUN state_NN1 figures_NN2 show_VVB that_CJT as_CJS of_PRF Wednesday_NP0 ,_PUN Latinos_NP0 ages_NN2 35_CRD to_PRP 49_CRD died_VVD of_PRF the_AT0 virus_NN1 at_PRP more_AV0 than_CJS 5½_CRD times_NN2 the_AT0 rate_NN1 of_PRF white_AJ0 people_NN0 the_AT0 same_DT0 age_NN1 ._SENT The_AT0 gap_NN1 was_VBD even_AV0 wider_AJC a_AT0 few_DT0 months_NN2 earlier_AV0 :_PUN In_PRP December_NP0 ,_PUN when_CJS Quintero_NP0 fell_VVD ill_AJ0 ,_PUN Latinos_NN2 in_PRP the_AT0 prime_NN1 of_PRF life_NN1 were_VBD nearly_AV0 seven_CRD times_NN2 more_AV0 likely_AJ0 to_TO0 die_VVI than_CJS their_DPS white_AJ0 peers_NN2 ,_PUN according_VVG to_PRP the_AT0 Covid_NP0 Tracking_NN1 Project_NN1 ,_PUN an_AT0 independent_AJ0 group_NN1 that_CJT collects_VVZ case_NN1 ,_PUN death_NN1 and_CJC hospitalization_NN1 data_NN0 ._SENT Put_VVB another_DT0 way_NN1 :_PUN 35-to-49-year-old_AJ0 Latinos_NN2 represent_VVB 41.5_CRD %_NN0 of_PRF people_NN0 in_PRP that_DT0 age_NN1 range_NN1 in_PRP California_NP0 but_CJC account_NN1 for_PRP about_AV0 74_CRD %_NN0 of_PRF deaths_NN2 ._SENT The_AT0 staggering_AJ0 loss_NN1 of_PRF life_NN1 at_PRP younger_AJC ages_NN2 ,_PUN plus_PRP higher_AJC overall_AJ0 mortality_NN1 rates_NN2 ,_PUN is_VBZ projected_VVN to_TO0 have_VHI caused_VVN Latinos_NP0 '_POS life_NN1 expectancy_NN1 nationally_AV0 to_TO0 plummet_VVI by_PRP about_AV0 three_CRD years_NN2 during_PRP 2020_CRD ,_PUN according_VVG to_PRP a_AT0 peer-reviewed_AJ0 study_NN1 published_VVN by_PRP the_AT0 Proceedings_NN2 of_PRF the_AT0 National_AJ0 Academy_NN1 of_PRF Sciences_NN2 in_PRP February_NP0 ._SENT The_AT0 results_NN2 were_VBD calculated_VVN using_VVG federal_AJ0 data_NN0 ._SENT The_AT0 authors_NN2 of_PRF that_DT0 study_NN1 ,_PUN who_PNQ recently_AV0 updated_VVD their_DPS findings_NN2 ,_PUN report_VVB that_CJT Latinos_NP0 '_POS reduction_NN1 in_PRP life_NN1 expectancy_NN1 was_VBD more_AV0 than_CJS three_CRD times_NN2 the_AT0 loss_NN1 experienced_VVN by_PRP the_AT0 white_AJ0 population_NN1 ._SENT 
