HHS to require COVID-19 test reporting to include demographic data

The federal Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday released new requirements for states to report coronavirus data based on race, ethnicity, age and sex of individuals tested for the virus, responding to demands from lawmakers for a clearer picture of the pandemic and its racial discrepancies (Source: “Trump Administration Sets Demographic Requirements for Coronavirus Reports,” New York Times, June 4).

All laboratories — as well as nonlaboratory facilities offering on-site testing and in-home testing — will be required to send demographic data to state or local public health departments based on the individual’s residence, according to details released by the Department of Health and Human Services.

The new guidelines came as Dr. Robert R. Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, faced a barrage of questions from House lawmakers at a health subcommittee hearing about his agency’s often-halting response to the pandemic, and what some members of Congress said was its failure to anticipate and explain the pandemic’s effect on black and Hispanic communities.

“We didn’t have the data we needed to be able to answer that in a responsive way,” Dr. Redfield conceded.