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RESOLUTION URGING THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS AND THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION TO INCLUDE RACE, ETHNICITY, AND OTHER DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION IN PUBLICLY RELEASED DATA PERTAINING TO INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE TESTED POSITIVE FOR CORONAVIRUS DISEASE 2019 (COVID-19); AND URGING THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE AND THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO PROVIDE SUCH DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION IN PUBLICLY RELEASED DATA AT THE STATE LEVEL

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WHEREAS, in December 2019, a new coronavirus, known as SARS-CoV-2, that causes an infectious disease named coronavirus disease 2019 (�COVID-19�) was first identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China; and
WHEREAS, on January 30, 2020, the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee of the World Health Organization (�WHO�) declared the outbreak a �public health emergency of international concern�; and
WHEREAS, on March 11, 2020, given the rapid spread and severity of the virus, the WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic; and
WHEREAS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (�CDC�), which is federal agency under the United States Department of Health and Human Services, reports the number of COVID-19 cases in the United States daily; and
WHEREAS, the first case of COVID-19 in the United States was reported on January 20, 2020; and
WHEREAS, since its initial identification in the United States, COVID-19 has spread rapidly across the nation and cases of COVID-19, as well as mortalities from it, are increasing by the day; and
WHEREAS, from January 20, 2020 through April 5, 2020, the CDC reported over 300,000 cases of individuals infected with COVID-19 in the United States; and
WHEREAS, the number of reported COVID-19 cases across the nation increases exponentially on a daily basis; and
WHEREAS, in an effort to track the impact of COVID-19 and inform the public health response, the CDC developed the Human Infection with 2019 Novel Coronavirus Person Under Investigation and Case Report Form (�PUI Form�) to provide health departments with a standardized approach to reporting COVID-19 cases; and
WHEREAS, in addition to medical information, the PUI Form records the race, sex, ethnicity, and age of patients suspected of having COVID-19; and
WHEREAS, although the CDC reports daily on the number of individuals who have contracted COVID-19, such reports do not provide patient demographic information; and
WHEREAS, COVID-19 has been reported to have more detrimental consequences to the elderly, individuals who are immunocompromised, and people with preexisting medical conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and lung diseases; and
WHEREAS, unfortunately, medical research data reveals that many Americans with the noted preexisting conditions and many others, as well as minorities and others who live in marginalized communities who are typically less insured and without great access to medical care, have been severely impacted by COVID-19; and
WHEREAS, in fact, statistics from the states of Louisiana, Michigan, Illinois, and North Carolina, as well as Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, show a disproportionate number of Blacks have contracted or died from COVID-19; and
WHEREAS, specifically in Milwaukee County according to www.propublica.org, as of Friday, April 3, 2020, Blacks, who make up 26 percent of the county�s population made up almost half of the county�s 945 COVID-19 cases and 81 percent of its 27 deaths; and
WHEREAS, similar statistics were also reported by www.bridgemi.com for Detroit, Michigan where Blacks comprise 79 percent of the population and seven percent of the state�s population, but account for an alarming 26 percent of COVID-19 infections and 25 percent of such deaths in the state; and
WHEREAS, in an effort to identify and address inequities in health outcomes across the nation, it is imperative that the CDC report certain patient demographic information it receives in the PIU Forms of individuals infected with COVID-19,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, that this Board:
Section 1. Urges the United States Congress and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to include race, ethnicity, and other demographic information in publicly released data pertaining to individuals who have tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Section 2. Urges the Florida Legislature and the Florida Department of Health to include race, ethnicity, and other demographic information in state publicly released data pertaining to individuals who have tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).


Section 3. Directs the Clerk of the Board to transmit certified copies of this resolution to the members of the Florida Congressional Delegation, Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Governor, Senate President, House Speaker, Chair and Members of the Miami-Dade County State Legislative Delegation, Florida Surgeon General/Secretary of the Florida Department of Health, Director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, and Secretary of the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration
Section 4. Directs the County�s federal lobbyists to advocate for the action set forth in section 1 above, and directs the County�s state lobbyists to advocate for the action set forth in section 2 above.
Section 5. Authorizes and directs the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs (i) to amend the 2020 Federal Legislative Package to include this item and to include this item in the 2021 Federal Legislative Package when it is presented to the Board, and (ii) to amend the 2020 State Legislative Package to include this item and to include this item in the 2021 State Legislative Package when it is presented to the Board.