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Data On Race, Ethnicity Added To Ohio's COVID-19 Cases, Deaths

By Karen Kasler

Published April 6, 2020 at 11:16 PM EDT

A chart showing COVID-19 cases and deaths by race and ethnicity, as provided by the Ohio Department of Health. [Ohio Department of Health] — A chart showing COVID-19 cases and deaths by race and ethnicity, as provided by the Ohio Department of Health.

Ohio’s coronavirus tracking website is now showing a breakdown of COVID-19 cases and deaths by race and ethnicity. But the state health director is cautioning that this information is incomplete.

In some areas across the country, the percentage of blacks dying of COVID-19 is much greater than the percentage in blacks in the population.

The US Census Bureau estimates nearly 82% of Ohio’s population is white, 13% black. But the Ohio Department of Health says 61% of those who died of COVID-19 were white, 10% black.

Director Amy Acton said her agency is sharing the data though there’s a problem.

“25% of the cases that are being recorded in our database do not have race noted. A full 39% do not have ethnicity.”

Acton said some patients may be opting out of providing the information, which is often collected when they’re admitted.

The data has always tracked cases by gender, and Acton says slightly more males are dying than females.