Council President Parker holding press conference calling on state and county health departments to release additional COVID-19 data

Council President William Parker will be holding a press conference today at 2 p.m. at Legion Field, calling on state and county health departments to release data on COVID-19 cases by zip codes.

Across the United States, African-American communities are being disproportionately impacted by the virus, which has put healthcare disparities on full display. Birmingham’s population is 74 percent black and roughly 15 percent of the population is over 65, the most at risk demographic.

As of Monday, the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) has confirmed 4,923 cases in Alabama, with 682 of those in Jefferson County. President Parker is asking the Jefferson County Department of Health and ADPH to release demographic information about COVID-19 cases by zip code while the City applies for federal funding to help address health disparities in Birmingham.

President Donald Trump has signaled additional funding could be provided to localities that are being disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.

“You see states like Illinois and Michigan have begun releasing data that is broken down by zip codes. We’re asking our state and county health departments to follow suit and release this data to the public,” President Parker said. “We need to have a clear picture of where this virus has spread and who is most at risk. We’re continuing to apply for federal funding for our medically underserved communities. Having this data is a big part of that effort.”

What: Press conference with local pastors on additional COVID-19 data being made public

When: Monday, April 20 at 2 p.m.

Where: Legion Field