With the recent increased national attention on the disparities in COVID-19 cases and deaths among racial and ethnic groups, especially among African Americans and Latinos/Hispanics, the National Council of Asian Pacific Islander Physicians (NCAPIP) has compiled these data about COVID-19 cases and deaths reported by state health departments among Asians and among Pacific Islanders. These data supplement the analysis and recommendations issued by NCAPIP last week.
Here are the data for Asians (updated through last week, April 21):
For reported cases of COVID-19 among Asians:
+ only 26 states and the District of Columbia are reporting any data about COVID-19 cases specifically among Asians
+ 15 states have yet to report any race or ethnicity data about their COVID-19 cases
+ 5 states do report some race data but no data for Asians (who may be included in an “other” category), which is out of compliance with Office of Management and Budget (OMB) standards for reporting data related to race and ethnicity
+ 4 states report data for Asians combined with Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, and with American Indians and Alaska Natives, which also is out of compliance with the OMB reporting standards
For reported deaths from COVID-19 among Asians:
+ only 18 states and the District of Columbia are reporting any data about deaths from COVID-19 specifically among Asians
+ 23 states have yet to report any race or ethnicity data about their deaths from COVID-19
+ 6 states do report some race data but no data for Asians (who may be included in an “other” category), out of compliance with the OMB reporting standards
+ 3 states report data for Asians combined with Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, out of compliance with the OMB reporting standards
Only 4 states are reporting COVID-19-related hospitalization data by race and ethnicity, and only Massachusetts and Utah report such hospitalization data for Asians
And here are the data for Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders:
For reported cases of COVID-19 among Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders:
+ only 12 states and the District of Columbia are reporting any data about COVID-19 cases specifically among Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders
+ 15 states have yet to report any race or ethnicity data about their COVID-19 cases
+ 19 states do report some race data but no data for Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (who may be included in an “other” category), which is out of compliance with the OMB reporting standards
+ 4 states report data for Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders combined with Asians, and with American Indians and Alaska Natives, also out of compliance with the OMB reporting standards
For reported deaths from COVID-19 deaths among Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders:
+ only 6 states are reporting any data about deaths from COVID-19 specifically among Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders
+ 23 states have yet to report any race or ethnicity data about their deaths from COVID-19
+ 18 and the District of Columbia states do report some race data but no data for Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (who may be included in an “other” category), out of compliance with the OMB reporting standards
+ 3 states report data for Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders combined with Asians, also out of compliance with the OMB reporting standards
Finally, only 4 states are reporting COVID-19-related hospitalization data by race and ethnicity, and only Utah reports COVID-19-related hospitalization data for Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders
A national Pacific Islanders COVID-19 Response Team has been established at the Pacific Islander Center of Primary Care Excellence, with the following call to action:
The national Pacific Islanders COVID-19 Response Team is calling on states and counties to increase access for Pacific Islander testing and tracking, while collecting and reporting disaggregated race/ethic data, as a proactive measure for timely identification of affected clusters in the community. This will allow the response team to work with local organizations, churches, and leaders to provide resources and support directly to families to curb the spread of the virus. The response team urges city, county, state, and federal entities, as well as community-based organizations at all levels, to engage Pacific Islander leaders in planning and decision-making processes to help families who are currently affected to help stop the spread of COVID-19 in the community.
Ignatius Bau 