State Says Data On Race And Ethnicity Are Coming

Gov. Bill Lee’s administration began the COVID-19 outbreak by limiting the amount of information released on victims but has been slowly changing that policy. At a press briefing today, Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey says by week’s end the state will begin publishing the age range of deaths, as well as the race and ethnicity of confirmed cases.

“Yes, race and ethnicity data is important to make sure we are maintaining access across all ethnicities and to eliminate or mitigate any disparities that we might identify,” Piercey told reporters.

Piercey says they haven’t identified any disparities yet because they are waiting on the data, but some significant racial disparities have been found in other states. African Americans make up more than 70% of COVID-19 deaths in Louisiana, for instance, but only 32% of the population.