Tori L. Cowger, PHS-EPI ’21, and members of the SBS Department have recently authored “Comparison of Weighted and Unweighted Population Data to Assess Inequities in Coronavirus Disease 2019 Deaths by Race/Ethnicity Reported by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention” in JAMA. SBS-affiliated coauthors include Dr. Mary T. Bassett, Brigette A. Davis, Onisha S. Etkins, Dr. Nancy Krieger, Jourdyn Lawrence, and Keletso Makofane.
In the study, Tori and others argue that the CDC ‘s current weighted reporting of COVID-19 deaths by race/ethnicity inaccurately depicts the impact of the coronavirus on people of color. Instead, the CDC should report mortality rates by race/ethnicity that are further stratified by age, gender, zipcode, and other population data factors.