That is a despicable thing to say, but it isn't exactly racist. Different races of people do have different rates of infection and mortality. In the U.S., black people were less susceptible to 1918 Spanish flu than most others, and their mortality rate was lower. I do not think the difference was large -- it was not "much more" -- but it was measurable. On the other hand, isolated groups not exposed to other influenza suffered the highest casualties by far, especially Inuit people. Quote:
"The Spanish influenza appeared at the Inuit community of Okak in late 1918, killing 204 of Okak's 263 residents."
https://www.heritage.nf.ca/art…tics/1918-spanish-flu.php
It is unlikely that Chinese people are significantly more susceptible to any form of influenza than other modern, exposed, cosmopolitan groups, given that influenza always results in a worldwide pandemic nowadays.
There are several diseases that vary by race because of common genotypes. For example, Japanese people get normal tension glaucoma more than people of other races. Doctors not used to looking for this type may not see it in the test results. When you are tested for glaucoma, they should ask you specifically if your ancestors are from Japan. See:
https://www.glaucoma.org/gleam…-in-asian-populations.php
A very stupid person I knew insisted this has nothing to do with race, and they should also be careful to look for normal tension glaucoma in a white person who lived in Japan or speaks Japanese.
Race is a nebulous concept with no firm biological basis, but it is an important category in medicine. People know what race and national origin they are from, so they can inform doctors before an exam, which can help.
