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Coronavirus Latest: State To Show Racial, Ethnic Breakdown Of COVID-19 Cases This Week

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Early information from some metro areas across the U.S. shows COVID-19 is more deadly for African-Americans than other groups.

Gov. Larry Hogan ordered Tuesday the State Health Department start releasing racial and ethnic data later this week.

Del. Nick Mosby, D-Baltimore, and dozens of state lawmakers have been asking the state for the data.

"The data helps you develop your strategy and your plan to engage, to treat and to test," Mosby said. "It's really important to know, in our state, what areas are impacted the most so we can slow down the spread of this virus."

New York state just started releasing such data Wednesday. It shows higher mortality rates in Hispanics and African-Americans. Numbers out of Michigan and Chicago show death rates much higher in African-Americans.

CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE:

"Social inequities are definitely playing a role in this pandemic," Dr. Lisa Cooper, of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said. "If we know where the spread is happening, we might have an idea where people might not be engaging in social distancing behaviors."

Del. Mosby said it's critical to show equity in testing.

"Who's being tested? Where are they coming from? How are the tests being distributed?" Mosby said. "It's really important to know, in our state, what areas are impacted the most so we can slow down the spread of this virus."

Baltimore City's Pimlico Race Course will be home to a drive-through testing site, but the city still doesn't have testing kits, as of Wednesday afternoon.

For the latest information on coronavirus go to the Maryland Health Department's website or call 211. You can find all of WJZ's coverage on coronavirus in Maryland here.

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