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Dallas County Releases Demographics Of COVID-19 Patients

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Dallas County health officials have released new demographic data on COVID-19 patients. As of Tuesday, more than 1,200 cases were confirmed throughout the county.

Looking at race and ethnicity, 19% of patients are black, 24% are Hispanic, 20% are white and 2% are Asian. One percent reported their race as "other."

But county leaders are missing a significant portion of the data — race has not been reported for more than a third of COVID-19 patients.

Dallas County on Wednesday released race and ethnicity data on the 20 residents who’ve died from COVID-19. Eight – or 40% – were white; six – or 30% – were Hispanic; five – or 25% – were black; one resident was classified as “other.”

Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson says all of the deaths are tragic and that tracking the data is important.

Most COVID-19 cases in Dallas County have not required hospital care. Among those hospitalized, 70% of patients have been 60 or older, or have at least one high‐risk chronic health condition.

About 80% of coronavirus cases in Dallas County are tied to close contact with an infected person or community transmission.

Health officials are preparing for a possible surge of cases in early May, based on projection models.

This story has been updated.

Syeda Hasan is the Elections Editor and Reporter at KERA. Before moving into that role, she covered mental health at the station. A Houston native, her journalism career has taken her to public radio newsrooms around Texas.