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PITTSBURGH (Newsradio 1020 KDKA) - The Allegheny County Health Department has expanded the information available regarding COVID-19.
The new dashboard gives a more complete look at cases among race and ethnicity.
“We know the coronavirus is having a disproportionate effect on communities of color in Allegheny County. A first step to addressing this inequity was amassing the needed data and analysis to pinpoint it,” said Allegheny County Health Department Director Dr. Debra Bogen. “Armed with this data and analysis, we can begin to take steps to better protect and improve the health of all residents in Allegheny County.”
Race is available for about 75 percent of the people who have tested for COVID-19, previously race data was only available for 47 percent of those tested.
Ethnicity is now available for nearly 55 percent of those tested. Previously only 5 percent of ethnicity information was available.
Other new information available includes:
· An estimation of recoveries from COVID-19: A person has recovered, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, when: 1) 32 days have passed after a person was hospitalized for COVID-19 and the person did not die, or 2) 14 days have passed since a person tested positive for COVID-19 and was not hospitalized.
· Rates of testing, cases, hospitalizations, and deaths for demographic groups: The data allows users to see how a particular demographic group is represented in COVID-19 counts relative to their representation in the county population.
· Intersection of demographic categories: Users can view case totals or trends for a race group and filter those results further to see data about a particular age group or gender within that race group.
· Newly added ethnicity data for all metrics: The data can be filtered to show results for the Hispanic/Latinx community.
From this deeper analysis, the Health Department see that even though the black population is being tested for COVID-19 at a rate higher than their population in Allegheny County, they are hospitalized and dying at rates higher than their population.
· 13% of Allegheny County’s population is black.
· 20% of tests of COVID-19 are among black people.
· 27% of cases of COVID-19 are among black people.
· 31% of hospitalizations for COVID-19 are among black people.
· 20% of deaths due to COVID-19 are among black people.
“The data show that while we’re doing a good job at getting testing to the black community, the pandemic is tragically taking a larger toll on this community,” Dr. Bogen said. “The causes of this significant health disparity are likely many, including higher rates of underlying health conditions linked to poverty, physical environment, and limited access to medical care; higher exposure rates to the virus due to not being able to work from home or from working in close contact with others; a greater likelihood of living in crowded homes, and other factors. These are health equity concerns we must continue to address in earnest.”
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