City Councilman Herb Wesson called on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Monday to release data on how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting “communities of color.”

In a letter sent to board Chairwoman Kathryn Barger, Wesson wrote that the coronavirus is presenting “many compelling challenges,” including transparency in the reporting of data as to how the pandemic is affecting communities and racial groups.

“This data is critical to the effective deployment of needed resources, and the shaping of public education and communications, particularly in communities of color. It is also vital for the purpose of accountability,” Wesson said.

Wesson specifically requested information on coronavirus death rates by race, the number of tests conducted in those communities as well as the result, the number of people in quarantine and how many people have recovered.

Calls to Barger’s office and the county Department of Public Health were not immediately returned.

Wesson also requested the information be included in the county Department of Public Health’s daily coronavirus updates.

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