Filipino, Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) are seeing a disproportionate impact from the COVID-19 pandemic in a province in Canada, according to a new report.

The Manitoba government released on Monday, March 1, a report into race, ethnicity, and indigeneity (REI) of coronavirus infections in the province.

Among those found that have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19 were African, Filipino, Latin American, North American Indigenous, and South Asian communities.

“It’s important to note that this is not about the people in these communities making bad choices or people not following public health guidance,” said Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba’s chief provincial public health officer in a report by CTV News.

“We need to look at this data in the context of many factors, such as occupation, income, housing adequacy, to understand how race influences the effects of COVID-19.”

According to the report, North American Indigenous Manitobans had 17 percent of Manitoba’s positive COVID-19 cases, despite making up only 13 percent of the population.

Filipino Manitobans had 12 percent of the positive cases, representing only seven percent of the population. Members of the African community, which make up only two percent of Manitoba’s population, had six percent of positive cases.

Roussin said COVID-19 infections are largely linked to pre-existing inequities, including in housing and employment.

People in BIPOC communities are more likely to live in lower-income neighborhoods, overcrowded or multi-generational households, and are more likely to work in higher-risk occupations, he added.

The data on REI information of coronavirus infections was compiled last May 1 to Dec. 31, 2020.