Democratic bills call for racial breakdown of COVID-19 cases
Source: AP
By AARON MORRISON
NEW YORK (AP) — Democratic lawmakers on Tuesday introduced legislation to compel federal health officials to post data daily that breaks down COVID-19 cases and deaths by race and ethnicity.
The lawmakers say the demographic data is needed to address any disparities in the national response to the coronavirus outbreak, which is taking a disproportionate toll on African Americans and other nonwhite populations.
“Because of government-sponsored discrimination and systemic racism, communities of color are on the frontlines of this pandemic,” Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, one of several sponsors of the legislation in the Senate, said in a statement. “To effectively slow the spread of the virus and ensure our response is robust and equitable, we need comprehensive national data on who is getting infected, who is getting treatment, and who is dying.”
The latest Associated Press analysis of available state and local data shows that more than 30% of those who have died from COVID-19 are African American, although blacks make up roughly 13% of the population in the areas covered in the analysis.
FILE - In this Wednesday, March 11, 2020, file photo, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., and other House Democrats arrive to meet with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., on Capitol Hill in Washington. Democratic lawmakers are calling out an apparent lack of racial data that they say is needed to monitor and address disparities in the national response to the coronavirus outbreak. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Ayanna Pressley say in a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar dated Friday, March 27, 2020, that comprehensive demographic data on people who are tested or treated for the coronavirus does not exist. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
Read more: https://apnews.com/42416dadf903b34dcf8f0de5b69b5f81
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