City Council President seeks data on COVID-19 health disparities

Birmingham City Council President William Parker said on Monday that he asking state and county officials to compile and release data on health disparities in Birmingham related to the treatment of COVID-19.

Parker also said in a news release that the City Council is seeking federal funding to help address health disparities in the city.

These actions are in response to numerous reports from across the country indicating that African-American communities are being disproportionately impacted by the virus, according to the news release.

Birmingham’s population is 74 percent African-American, and roughly 15 percent of the population is over 65, the most at-risk demographic.

“We’ve been working with representatives with various health organizations to identify ways in which we can expand testing in our communities,” Parker said. “But we need to have a clear understanding of what we’re dealing with and we need help from our partners on the state and county level in providing data we can use while we seek federal funding to help fight this virus.”