‘It’s life and death.’ Elected official wants more coronavirus data as 3 more deaths are reported

Three additional Mecklenburg County residents have died of COVID-19, according to local health officials who made the announcement late Monday but provided no information about who died.

The total number of coronavirus fatalities in Mecklenburg is 15. And at least 975 county residents have tested positive for the coronavirus, officials said late Monday.

The announcement comes after the county reported no deaths over the weekend. Mecklenburg disclosed its first death from COVID-19 on March 29.

Officials say that among the 12 deaths recorded through Sunday, all individuals were 60 years or older with underlying health conditions. “Almost all” were hospitalized and two-thirds were male, according to a Mecklenburg news release.

Half of those 12 deaths involved non-Hispanic blacks, with the county acknowledging a pattern of “persisting disparities” that have caused marginalized communities to be disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.

Black residents accounted for 50.4% of 951 coronavirus cases confirmed through Sunday. By comparison, Mecklenburg County’s population is just 33% black, according to Census estimates.

The latest data for infected patients shows white residents made up 30.5% of cases, with Hispanics at 11.1%, Asians at 3%, and Alaskan Natives or American Indians at less than 1%. In 4.7% of cases, race or ethnicity was not reported, officials said.

“About 1 in 5 reported cases were hospitalized due to their COVID-19 infection,” officials said in a news release Monday. “While everyone is at risk for severe COVID-19 complications, reported cases who were older adults (≥ 60 years) were four times more likely to be hospitalized compared to younger individuals. “

No data on new deaths

The Observer reported earlier Monday that county officials have released limited data on the people who have died from COVID-19 locally. More information on who is dying could help public awareness and understanding of the pandemic, some experts say. County officials have said federal medical privacy laws preclude such release.

In the past, Mecklenburg County officials have given some demographic information about the people who have died such as race, age or whether they had an underlying health condition. On Monday, none of that information was released.

County Commissioner Susan Rodriguez-McDowell said it is time to release more socioeconomic information on Mecklenburg residents testing positive for the coronavirus.

“We see there are disparities, but that’s not OK. We have to do everything we can to prevent that from occurring,” Rodriguez-McDowell said. “It’s life and death — that feels really important.”

This story was originally published April 13, 2020 at 6:30 PM.