CDC Sued to Force Release Racial Demographic Data on Coronavirus Spread

Systemic racism is blamed for the glaring and tragic racial disparities of the COVID-19 illness in the United States.

2 minute read

July 9, 2020, 5:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Helena, Montana

Brandi Lyon Photography / Shutterstock

Richard A. Oppel Jr., Robert Gebeloff, K.K. Rebecca Lai, Will Wright, and Mitch Smith reveal a pile of demographic data about the spread of the novel coronavirus in the United States, after suing to pry the first demographic data on the pandemic from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The data are the first indication from the CDC of the pandemic's racial disparities in the United States.

Early numbers had shown that Black and Latino people were being harmed by the virus at higher rates. But the new federal data — made available after The New York Times sued the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — reveals a clearer and more complete picture: Black and Latino people have been disproportionately affected by the coronavirus in a widespread manner that spans the country, throughout hundreds of counties in urban, suburban and rural areas, and across all age groups.

The disparities are widespread, and not confined to particularly urban areas in "Blue States." "The disparities persist across state lines and regions. They exist in rural towns on the Great Plains, in suburban counties, like Fairfax County, Va., and in many of the country’s biggest cities," according to the article. 

For more specificity regarding the racial disparities of coronavirus infections around the country, the article adds this detail: 

Latino and African-American residents of the United States have been three times as likely to become infected as their white neighbors, according to the new data, which provides detailed characteristics of 640,000 infections detected in nearly 1,000 U.S. counties. And Black and Latino people have been nearly twice as likely to die from the virus as white people, the data shows.

Quinton Lucas, who is the third Black mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, a city that reflects the racial disparities of infection found elsewhere in the country, is quoted in the article blaming the public health outcomes of the pandemic in the United States on systemic racism.

The article is of feature length, and supplemented by multiple infographics to illustrate the data.

Sunday, July 5, 2020 in The New York Times

courses user

As someone new to the planning field, Planetizen has been the perfect host guiding me into planning and our complex modern challenges. Corey D, Transportation Planner

As someone new to the planning field, Planetizen has been the perfect host guiding me into planning and our complex modern challenges.

Corey D, Transportation Planner

Ready to give your planning career a boost?

Graphic with blue background, flags, and text reading 2024 Presidential Election

Where 2024 Presidential Candidates Stand on 12 Issues Important to Urban Planners

Whether you’re yet undecided or have already cast your early vote, here is a roundup of the key positions of Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump on important urban planning policies.

October 31, 2024 - Planetizen

Modular housing under construction with worker guiding crane.

Commentary: New Bill Holds Key to Solving US Housing Crisis. We Just Have to Pass It.

Two bills currently moving through Congress could make mass production of prefabricated, affordable housing possible on a large scale.

October 29, 2024 - Jordan Rogove

Amtrak Coast Starlight passenger train passing over bridge in Altamont Pass, California.

Amtrak Expanding Service in California’s Central Valley

Amtrak is planning a major expansion to the passenger rail lines connecting the Central Valley and the Bay Area.

November 4, 2024 - The Modesto Bee

Panoramic view of downtown Denver, Colorado.

Denver Slaughterhouse Measure Reveals Impacts of Meat Industry

Voters did not approve a measure that would have closed a slaughterhouse that is key to the nation’s lamb production.

November 8 - The Conversation

Chicago Transit

Chicago Transit Increasing Rail Service to Pre-Pandemic Levels

The Chicago Transit Authority is close to returning both rail and bus service to pre-pandemic schedules, with some adjustments for new travel demand.

November 8 - Mass Transit

Bridge with container ship crashed into it in Baltimore, Maryland.

Baltimore Traffic Suffering From Absence of Key Bridge

The loss of a key route to the Port of Baltimore is causing major delays and long detours on alternate routes.

November 8 - The Baltimore Banner