The COVID-19 pandemic is shining a light on well-established racial disparities in health care access and quality, and in social and economic factors affecting health status and outcomes. The racial inequities exposed by case identification and death rates data give states opportunities to improve their responses and interventions.
As state and local data becomes available, Louisiana and Illinois governors have highlighted racial disparities in COVID-19 cases and deaths. This aligns with governors’ recent public statements about equity – 22 governors mentioned the need for educational, economic, and social equity in their state of the state addresses earlier this year.
State public health agencies are working around the clock to inform the public about the pandemic by regularly monitoring and reporting data, which is one of their core functions. An analysis by the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) of state public health websites found that 25 states (AL, AR, AZ, CA, CT, GA, ID, IL, IN, LA, MA, MD, MI, MN, MS, NY, NC, OH, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA, WA, and WI) and Washington, DC are reporting COVID-19 data by race and/or ethnicity.
Among the findings:
- Six states report case data (laboratory-confirmed positive cases), three report mortality data, and 17 report both cases and mortality by race and/or ethnicity.
- States use a variety of categories to report race and ethnicity data. For example, Louisiana reports race data for the following categories: American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, black, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, other, unknown, and white. Louisiana reports ethnicity data as either Hispanic/Latino or non-Hispanic/Latino. Connecticut reports Hispanic, non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, non-Hispanic Asian, non-Hispanic other, and non-Hispanic unknown.
- Eighteen states report a large proportion of unknown (or missing) race/ethnicity.
- Fourteen states illustrate racial or ethnic disparities where the percentage of deaths or cases for one population is disproportionately high, compared to the demographic breakdown of the state. For example, Mississippi reported that 72 percent of its deaths from COVID-19 have been in the African American population, despite the fact that African Americans make up only 38 percent of the state’s overall population.
State health secretaries and legislators also are emphasizing the importance of identifying disparities to understand and respond to the pandemic and promote health equity. Recently, Massachusetts Health and Human Services Secretary, MaryLou Sudders said, “I want to be clear, obtaining racial and ethnic data on cases of COVID-19 is crucial for examining where and on whom the burden of illness and death is falling – It’s actually essential for the commonwealth response to the pandemic and important information for all of us to understand.”
There are additional opportunities for states to monitor and address COVID-19 disparities. Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York has committed to collecting more comprehensive data about COVID-19 in minority communities. Publicly reporting COVID-19 testing, hospitalization, and recovery by race and ethnicity could further allow state and local policymakers, providers, and other stakeholders to monitor and ensure equity in access to resources for prevention and treatment in order to improve outcomes.
State and city leaders can harness COVID-19 data to tailor their current responses to the pandemic and continue to identify strategies to meet the health and health-related social needs of communities of color. States use race/ethnicity data in a number of ways, including targeting or soliciting funding, tailoring stakeholder outreach and engagement, informing public health initiatives, and strengthening governmental processes to address disparities strategically and comprehensively.
In response to data in her state, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer established the Michigan Coronavirus Task Force on Racial Disparities to develop recommendations for addressing disparities “right now as we work to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in Michigan.” Task Force chair, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II, tweeted, “COVID-19 is a constant reminder of how dangerous racial disparities and inequality are for people of color. 14% of our population is Black, but more than 40% of deaths are in Black communities. I’m working alongside @GovWhitmer to make Michigan a leader in addressing this.”
City leaders also are taking action. Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot announced a multi-pronged strategy to “address systemic health inequities within the COVID-19 crisis.” Specifically, the mayor in collaboration with nonprofit partners is:
- Establishing a Racial Equity Rapid Response Team to engage community members;
- Conducting regional briefings in targeted communities and with street outreach workers; and
- Calling for more detailed data collection.
Importantly, the city’s health department signed a public health order enhancing data-sharing requirements for certain facilities to support COVID-19 tracking.
States can incorporate lessons into their existing state initiatives to ensure access to coverage and address health equity through accountable health models, Medicaid managed care contract language for social determinants of health, unique data-sharing agreements, and workforce strategies. As the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) funding is made available to states and hospitals, leaders can use the funds to support communities and populations disproportionally affected by COVID-19 due to structural and social inequities. States efforts to address health equity will continue throughout and beyond this pandemic. NASHP will continue to track states public reporting of COVID-19 by race and ethnicity.
| States Publicly Reporting COVID-19 Data by Race/Ethnicity* | |||
| State | Data Reported | Categories Used to Define Race/Ethnicity | |
| AL | Cases** | Race: Asian, Black, White, Other/UnknownEthnicity: Hispanic/Latino, Not Hispanic/Latino, Unknown | |
| AR | Cases and Mortality | Black, White, American Indian, Asian, Pacific Islander, Multiracial, Other, Missing | |
| AZ | Cases and Mortality | White Non-Hispanic, Hispanic or Latino, Native American, Black Non-Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Island, Other Non-Hispanic, Unknown | |
| CA | Cases and Mortality | Latinos, Whites, African Americans/Blacks, Asians, Multiracial, American Indians or Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians or Pacific Islanders, Other | |
| CT | Cases and Mortality | Hispanic, Non-Hispanic White, Non-Hispanic Black, Non-Hispanic Asian, Non-Hispanic Other, Non-Hispanic Unknown | |
| DC | Cases and Mortality | Race: Unknown, White, Black/African American, Asian, American Indian/Alaska Native, Other/Multiracial, Refused During the InterviewEthnicity: Unknown, Hispanic or Latinx, NOT Hispanic or Latinx, Refused During Interview | |
| GA | Cases | Race: Black or African American, White, American Indian/Native American, Asian, Multiracial, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, Other, UnknownEthnicity: Hispanic/Latino, Non-Hispanic/Latino, Unknown | |
| ID | Mortality | Race: White, Black, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian/Pacific Islander, Other Race/Multiple Race, Race Information PendingEthnicity: Non-Hispanic, Hispanic, Ethnicity information Pending | |
| IL | Cases and Mortality | White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, Other, Left Blank | |
| IN | Cases and Mortality | Race: White, Black or African American, Asian, Other, UnknownEthnicity: Not Hispanic or Latino, Hispanic or Latino, Unknown | |
| LA | Mortality | Race: American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Black, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, Other, Unknown, WhiteEthnicity: Hispanic/Latino, Non-Hispanic/Latino | |
| MA | Cases and Mortality | Hispanic, Non-Hispanic White, Non-Hispanic Black/African American, Non-Hispanic Asian, Non-Hispanic Other, Unknown, Missing | |
| MD | Cases and Mortality | African-American, Asian, White, Other, Data not Available | |
| MI | Cases and Mortality | Race: American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian/Pacific Islander, Black or African American, Caucasian, Multiple Races, Other, UnknownEthnicity: Hispanic/Latino, Non-Hispanic/Latino, Other, Unknown | |
| MN | Cases and Mortality | Race: White, Black, Asian, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, American Indian/Alaska Native, Other, Unknown/MissingEthnicity: Hispanic, Non-Hispanic, Unknown/Missing | |
| MS | Cases and Mortality | Black or African American, White, Other | |
| NY | Mortality | Hispanic, Black, White, Asian | |
| NC | Cases and Mortality | Race: American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, White, OtherEthnicity: Hispanic, Non-Hispanic | |
| OH | Cases and Mortality | Race: White, Black, Other, UnknownEthnicity: Non-Hispanic or Non-Latino, Hispanic, Latino, Unknown | |
| OK | Cases and Mortality | Race: American Indian/Alaska Native Only, Asian Only, Black Only, White Only, Other/Multiple RacesEthnicity: Hispanic or Latino (can be any race) | |
| SC | Cases | Race: African American, White, Asian, American Indian or Alaska Native, Unknown, Other | |
| TN | Cases | Race: White, Black or African American, Other/Multiracial, Asian, PendingEthnicity: Not Hispanic or Latino, Hispanic, Pending | |
| TX | Cases | Asian, Black, Hispanic, Other, Unknown, White | |
| VA | Cases | Race: Black or African American, White, Other, Not Reported | |
| WA | Cases and Mortality | Hispanic, Non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native, Non-Hispanic Asian, Non-Hispanic Black, Non-Hispanic White, Non-Hispanic Native American or Other Pacific Islander, Non-Hispanic Multiracial, Non-Hispanic Other Race, Unknown | |
| WI | Cases and Mortality | Race: American Indian, Asian or Pacific Islander, Black, White, Multiple or Other Races, UnknownEthnicity: Hispanic or Latino, Not Hispanic or Latino, Unknown | |
*As of April 12, 2020. View an updated interactive map highlighting state efforts to track COVID-19 case and death rates by race and ethnicity here.
** Cases in this table refer to laboratory-confirmed positive COVID-19 cases.
Support for this work was provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the foundation.
