September update

The disproportionate impacts of COVID-19 on communities of color across the U.S. and in Ohio, particularly within the Black/African-American community, have become increasingly apparent over the past several months.

As of Aug. 29, 2020, 771 Black/African-American, 92 Hispanic/Latino and 42 Asian-American Ohioans died with COVID-19. To put existing information into context, this brief provides Ohio-specific data on:

— COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths among Black/African-American and white Ohioans relative to their respective proportions of the state population
— COVID-19 deaths in 2020 compared to leading causes of death in 2018 among Black/African-American Ohioans
— The percentage of cases with unknown race and ethnicity data in Ohio counties

As of Aug. 29, 2020, there have been 27,637 COVID-19 cases, 4,070 hospitalizations and 771 deaths among Black/African-American Ohioans.

As of Aug. 29, 2020, 771 Black/African-American, 92 Hispanic/Latino and 42 Asian-American Ohioans died with COVID-19. To put existing information into context, this brief provides Ohio-specific data on:

— COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths among Black/African-American and white Ohioans relative to their respective proportions of the state population
— COVID-19 deaths in 2020 compared to leading causes of death in 2018 among Black/African-American Ohioans
— The percentage of cases with unknown race and ethnicity data in Ohio counties

As of Aug. 29, 2020, there have been 27,637 COVID-19 cases, 4,070 hospitalizations and 771 deaths among Black/African-American Ohioans.

County-level data

Based on currently available data, some counties in Ohio experience particularly high disparities. Click here for county-level case data.

From data to action

Strengthened data collection and reporting are critical to eliminate COVID-19 disparities and advance the health and wellbeing of all Ohioans. This includes:

• Reducing the percentage of “unknown” race and ethnicity COVID-19 case data reported at the county level by ensuring race and ethnicity questions are always asked, responses are effectively collected and data are properly recorded across tracking systems.
• Prioritizing the collection and reporting of the number of COVID-19 tests administered by race and ethnicity at the state and local level.
• Collecting comprehensive data for other at-risk communities in Ohio, such as people with low incomes, with disabilities, living in rural or Appalachian regions of the state and immigrants/refugees.

State policymakers can take action to dismantle racism and eliminate health disparities by aligning with these resources:

• COVID-19 Ohio Minority Health Strike Force Interim report and Blueprint: These reports issued by the Minority Health Strike Force, formed by Gov. DeWine, provide a set of recommendations focused on eliminating disparities in COVID-19 (Interim Report) and dismantling racism and eliminating all health disparities and inequities experienced by Ohioans of color (Blueprint).
• Ohio’s Executive Response: A Plan of Action to Advance Equity: In response to the Ohio Minority Health Strike Force Blueprint, the DeWine administration released this plan that outlines the policy actions that state agencies have committed to take to reduce health disparities and dismantle racism.
• 2020-2022 State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP): The SHIP is a tool to strengthen state and local efforts to improve health, wellbeing and economic vitality in Ohio and advance equity. The SHIP includes strategies that have evidence of decreasing disparities and inequities.
• Connections between racism and health: Taking action to eliminate racism and advance equity: HPIO recently released a policy brief and resource page that describes the relationship between racism and health and outlines specific action steps that can be taken to eliminate racism and advance equity across all levels of society.

This brief is an update of HPIO’s publication “Ohio COVID-19 disparities by race.”