Coronavirus: Gov. Newsom announces partial ethnicity data of COVID-19 cases in CA, shedding new light on impact of virus
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KABC) -- As California continues to sift through ethnicity data on coronavirus cases in the state, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced preliminary information on Wednesday that shed some light on racial disparities amid the outbreak.
Newsom said during his daily press conference that the state has compiled data related to race for 37.2% of the nearly 17,000 confirmed cases. Of the 6,306 cases analyzed based on race, 30% were identified as Hispanic, 14% Asian and 6% Black. Of the coronavirus-related deaths in the state in which information is available, 29% were Hispanic, 16% Asian and 3% Black.
WATCH: Gov. Newsom discusses ethnicity data of COVID-19 cases in California
However, the governor cautioned that data is available for less than half of the confirmed cases, and it is too early to determine an encompassing scope of the infection's impact.
Newsom also provided an update on the latest coronavirus numbers for California, with 16,957 cases, 442 deaths, 2,714 hospitalized and 1,154 people in ICU.
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In Los Angeles, health officials announced Tuesday preliminary data on the breakdown of race for COVID-19 deaths. However, data is not yet complete as information was only available for 93 of the deaths reported. Of the 93 deaths where information on ethnicity has been determined, 28% Hispanic, 27% White, 19% were Asian, 17% Black and 9% belonging to another race.
According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 18% of the population in Los Angeles County is Black, but 33% of the 580 hospitalized COVID-19 patients in which data on race was available are Black.
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On Tuesday, health officials announced 6,936 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 172 deaths.
Data from other states have revealed that people of color have been disproportionately afflicted by the potentially deadly virus.
