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Indiana Releases Data For Race, Ethnicity In COVID-19 Cases, Deaths

Indiana State Health Commissioner Dr. Kris Box.
Indiana State Health Commissioner Dr. Kris Box.

The Indiana State Department of Health broke down COVID-19 cases and deaths by race and ethnicity.

While black Hoosiers only comprise 9 percent of the state’s population, they account for 19 percent of deaths and 18 percent of cases. 

But, State Health Commissioner Kris Box says, while the data follows the national trend, it is incomplete. 

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"We’re doing things like going back through public health data. We’re looking at our birth and death registry data to try cross-match this – even through Medicaid to see if we can get some of that information and make that more complete," Box says.

Box says data expected soon from hospitals will be more comprehensive. 

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Gov. Eric Holcomb says that is essential.

"The more that we know, the more that– that informs us on how to address this issue. Whether it be disparity or inequity," Holcomb says.

Nearly 60 percent of cases and nearly 40 percent of deaths are missing demographic data.

Contact Lauren at  lchapman@wfyi.org or follow her on Twitter at @laurenechapman_.

This is a rapidly evolving story, and we are working hard to bring you the most up-to-date information. However, we recommend checking the websites of the  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  or the  Indiana State Department of Health  for the most recent numbers of COVID-19 cases.

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Lauren Chapman is the digital producer for our statewide collaboration, and is based at WFYI in Indianapolis. She previous has worked at a basketball magazine, a top 30 newspaper, and a commercial television station. Lauren is new to public media, but in addition to her job "making stuff on the internet," she is also a radio and television reporter. She's a proud Ball State University alumna and grew up on the west side of Indianapolis.