Ohio鈥檚 coronavirus tracking is now showing a breakdown of COVID-19 cases and deaths by race and ethnicity. However the state's health director is cautioning that this information is incomplete.
In some areas across the country, the percentage of African Americans dying of COVID-19 is much greater than their percentage in the population.
The U.S. Census Bureau estimates nearly 82% of Ohio鈥檚 population is white, and 13% black. But the Ohio Department of Health says 61% of those who died of COVID-19 were white, 10% are black.
Ohio Department of Health director Dr. Amy Acton said her agency is sharing the data though there鈥檚 a problem.
鈥淭wenty-five percent of the cases that are being recorded in our database do not have race noted. A full 39% do not have ethnicity,鈥� she said.
Acton said some patients may be opting out of providing the information, which is often collected when they鈥檙e admitted.
The data has always tracked cases by gender, and Acton says slightly more males are dying than females.
