Is there a disproportionate number of cases of COVID-19 across races/ethnicity?

This analysis looks at the trends in COVID-19 cases across major racial/ethnic categories in the state of Virginia. We use data from the Virginia Department of Health. The source data was downloaded from the Virginia Department of Health website and is as of October 23, 2020. Unlike other datasets from the Virginia Department of Health, the start date of this dataset is June 15, 2020.

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The focus is on five of the categories that are reported in the dataset, which represent 99% of the population of Virginia. However, of note is that over 15% of the cases in the dataset fall into the “Not Reported” category. These entries are not included in the analysis. It is important to note that this data does not represent the full number of COVID-19 cases in Virginia since the start of the pandemic but what is available from the authoritative source in the state.

The following chart shows the 5-day moving averages of COVID-19 cases reported for each racial/ethnic category since mid-June 2020 in the state of Virginia. This does not take into account the percentage of the population each category represents.

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What Happens When Population Numbers are Factored In?

Here we incorporate the percentage of the population in Virginia that each race/ethnicity represents, by calculating the 5-day average per 100k in population. Population statistics come from Census.gov. If the percentage of cases for a group matched the percentage of the population, then the two charts would be the same.

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This chart compares the proportions of the population to the proportions of COVID-19 cases across the different groups, in the aggregate since mid-June 2020.

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What about Hospitalizations?

These chart shows the 5-day moving averages of COVID-19 related hospitalizations reported for each racial/ethnic category since mid-June 2020 in the state of Virginia, with and without the population proportions factored in. Interestingly the trend lines in hospitalizations is distinctly different from those for cases.

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