By Dr. Lynn Webster, PNN Columnist 

The Titanic carried 20 lifeboats. Only about half of the fabled ship's 2,207 passengers and crew members could fit in them. Anyone who didn’t get a seat on a lifeboat almost certainly would not survive the icy waters of the North Atlantic.  

Women and children were saved before the men, but there was social and economic stratification, too. The policy aboard the Titanic was to look after the first-class and standard-class passengers first.  

Even when the ship was sinking and all passengers were in equally imminent danger, the highest-ranking passengers were given priority during the lifesaving efforts. Third-class passengers, who were situated farthest away from the lifeboats, were left to find their own way to safety.  

The outcome was sadly inevitable. Of the first-class Titanic passengers, 61 percent survived. Of standard-class passengers, 42 percent lived. Only 24 percent of third-class passengers made their way to safety.

Your survival depended on who you were, and on the value others placed on your life. 

Some People Are Still Marginalized

Today, we are undergoing a very different disaster, but the same disparities are still in play. Our socioeconomic status, as defined by our education, income and occupation, is an important factor in the opportunities we are given. It also determines the quality of our lives and our ability to cope with setbacks.

The fate of the Titanic passengers is a metaphor for the trajectory of the coronavirus victims today. Socioeconomic status partially determines which cities and towns get hit the hardest, which populations face the greatest risk, and who endures the highest sickness and death rates from COVID-19.

Business Insider reports that "many wealthy families are having their private chefs and housekeepers procure and sanitize their groceries." The wealthy may not worry as much about coming into contact with the virus, because they can afford to hire people to take nearly all the risk for them.

The Wall Street Journal reports that nearly one-fifth of the population in some states have lost their jobs due to the pandemic. Lower-income workers are most affected.

Essential workers, including healthcare workers, first responders, law enforcement, grocery clerks, delivery workers and others, are seen as the heroes of the pandemic. They are keeping the gears of our society running so we can all survive.

However, just like the cooks, cleaning staff and maintenance personnel on the Titanic, the humblest workers today face the greatest risk of being left behind or most exposed to the danger.

Some of these heroes have inadequate health insurance, or none at all. Less than half of the bottom 25 percent of wage earners have sick leave, and only 24 percent of them have personal leave.

Everyone Deserves a Fighting Chance

There are racial and ethnic disparities related to the pandemic as well as socioeconomic injustices. That is partly due to the inequities of our healthcare system and living conditions.

According to the Washington Post, more than 5 million native Americans are especially vulnerable to the virus because they have high rates of diabetes, cancer, heart disease and asthma -- all of which put them at a greater risk from COVID-19.  

The New York Times reports that African Americans and Latinos suffer disproportionately from poverty, poor healthcare and chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension and asthma. They have higher rates of becoming ill and dying from COVID-19 in New York City, Chicago, Boston, and other cities.  

These minority members are less likely to have primary care physicians and access to hospitals with life-saving equipment. They may have been inadequately informed about how they can protect themselves from infection, especially if English is not their primary language. They may live with multiple generations in crowded quarters, making it more difficult to maintain social distancing and self-quarantine protocols, and increasing the likelihood of spreading the virus to parents and grandparents.  

It may not be possible for everyone to be treated with equanimity, but the magnitude of the disparity we observe now will only exacerbate the inequality we see after the pandemic. The haves will continue to prosper, while the have-nots will find themselves in a deeper hole. As this occurs, the seeds for further social unrest are being sown.   

The pandemic is exposing many challenges for our society. But there is probably no greater need than to ensure that everyone has access to a lifeboat.

Lynn R. Webster, MD, is a vice president of scientific affairs for PRA Health Sciences and consults with the pharmaceutical industry. He is author of the award-winning book, “The Painful Truth,” and co-producer of the documentary, “It Hurts Until You Die.” You can find Lynn on Twitter: @LynnRWebsterMD.