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Researchers scramble to inform doctors of COVID-19 risk to LGBTQ

People who identify as LGBTQ already face inequities in the health-care system
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A group of researchers at the University of Toronto are rapidly trying to educate health-care workers about the barriers LGBTQ people face to accessing care during the COVID-19 crisis.

The research group had already been developing a curriculum to address inequities in the health-care system for people who identify as LGBTQ.

Now they’re trying to adapt it quickly and get it into the hands of doctors working on the front lines of the pandemic.

Researcher Miranda Schreiber says people who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender are at greater risk from the viral outbreak because of societal discrimination and gaps in the health-care system that already impact their care.

She says those gaps are worse for racial minorities who also identify as LGBTQ.

She says it’s vital all doctors understand the obstacles, so sexual and gender minorities don’t suffer disproportionately from COVID-19.

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The Canadian Press


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