Washington(CNN) A Republican Ohio state lawmaker said Thursday that he regrets asking a racist question earlier this week about the disproportionate rates of coronavirus cases among African Americans.
The comments from state Sen. Stephen Huffman came on Tuesday during a hearing on a proposal to declare racism a public health crisis in the state. After one of the witnesses discussed health disparities among black Ohioans, Huffman interjected to ask his question.
"I understand African Americans have a higher incidence of chronic conditions and that makes them more susceptible to death from Covid. But why does it not make them more susceptible just to get Covid?" asked Huffman, who is also a practicing physician.
"Could it just be that African Americans or the colored population do not wash their hands as well as other groups? Or wear a mask? Or do not socially distance themselves? Could that be the explanation for why the higher incidence?"
The witness at the hearing where Huffman asked the question, Angela Dawson, who serves as the executive director of the Ohio Commission on Minority Health, quickly dismissed his assertion, saying emphatically: "That is not the opinion of leading medical experts in this country."
Huffman expressed regret over the comments in a statement emailed to CNN Thursday morning.
"Regrettably, I asked a question in an unintentionally awkward way that was perceived as hurtful and was exactly the opposite of what I meant. I was trying to focus on why COVID-19 affects people of color at a higher rate since we really do not know all the reasons," he said.
African Americans have been hit particularly hard by the coronavirus pandemic, with deaths rates among black Americans from the virus being disproportionately higher compared to all other ethnicities. A study released early last month found that although black Americans represent 13.4% of the American population, counties with higher black populations account for more than half of all Covid-19 cases and almost 60% of deaths.
Researchers with the study concluded that disparities, including access to health care, are likely to blame for the disproportionate death rates.
Huffman had defended himself late Wednesday in an interview with The Washington Post, claiming he believed "colored population" was synonymous with "people of color."
"People of color would have been better, but they seem to be interchangeable," he told the newspaper, which said he also claimed "that the question had been rhetorical."
"I was trying to focus on why Covid-19 affects people of color at a higher rate since we really do not know all the reasons," Huffman told the Post.
TeamHealth, a hospital management firm that employed Huffman as a part-time physician, confirmed Friday that Huffman had been fired from that position.
"Dr. Huffman's comments are wholly inconsistent with our values and commitment to creating a tolerant and diverse workplace," a spokesman for TeamHealth said in a statement.
Huffman's comments, which come amid a national reckoning with America's complicated racial history, were met with criticism from his colleagues.
State Sen. Cecil Thomas, a Democrat, told the Dayton Daily News that Huffman is "an example of why we have to have this discussion about racism and how it impacts people."
Rep. Stephanie Howse, a Democrat who serves as president of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus, also blasted Huffman for his comments, telling the newspaper that he "highlights what racism is from a systematic perspective."
"He's a full legislator but beyond that, professionally, he's a doctor. When we talk about the health disparities that happen because black folks aren't believed when they're actually hurt, they aren't given the treatment that they need. Do you think that someone who acknowledges the 'coloreds' is going to give the love and care that people need when they come through those doors?" Howse said, according to the Daily News.
Meanwhile, State Rep. Tavia Galonski, a Democrat, used Huffman's comments as a way to encourage Ohioans to vote the Republican senator out of office, writing on Twitter on Wednesday: "If you want a different Ohio than this, meet me at the ballot box on November 3."