Denver Health testing data shows neighborhood rates

Washington Park, Valverde and North Park Hill are among the Denver neighborhoods with the highest coronavirus infection rates among the cases confirmed by Denver Health, according to new data released Thursday by the city.

The data offers the first look at which communities are being hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic, and comes as health departments across the nation are being pressed to release demographic data related to COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths.

The other neighborhoods with the highest infection rates include South Park Hill, Skyland and Whittier. The six neighborhoods have infection rates that range between 1.7 and 3.1 per 1,000 people, according to the Denver Health testing data.

The data was complied by Denver Public Health, which is an arm of Denver Heath, and released in the form of a map.

Of the people tested by Denver Health, 40% were white, 24% were Latino and 13% were black, according to the data.

The populations in the six neighborhoods with the highest infection rates are largely white. In Valverde, 84% of residents are white and 77% are Latino. In Skyland,

53% of residents are white and 41% of residents are black, according to data from the city.

Among the neighborhoods in the next-highest tier of infection rates: Auraria, Athmar Park, Cheesman Park, Globeville, Hilltop, Montebello, Sunnyside, West Highland and Virginia Village.

However, the data released Thursday, and first reported by Denverite, is very limited. The in

formation only includes 762 people who tested positive at Denver Health for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

So far, there are 1,031 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Denver, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

The data does not include information on any individuals tested by the state health department or other hospitals. Testing is also inconsistent because of supply shortages, meaning it is largely limited to health care workers, those already hospitalized and individuals most at risk of complications. This means more people have the illness than the number of confirmed cases.

Other states are finding that black residents are dying from COVID-19 at higher rates than white residents. Colorado has not released any statewide demographic data for its confirmed coronavirus cases.

People who are black and Latino have higher rates of underlying health issues, such as diabetes and hypertension, that can lead to complications from the new coronavirus. Socioeconomic factors, such as work, can prevent them from social distancing as health officials recommend, said Dr. Michael Wechsler, professor of medicine and director of the asthma program at National Jewish Health.

“There is increasing recognition that AfricanAmericans are more likely to get COVID and are more likely to die from COVID than other ethnic and racial groups,” he said. “We don’t have great data on it yet; most states are not reporting the cases and the deaths based on race.”

Rep. Leslie Herod, DDenver, has asked the state to require health departments to submit demographic data related to the new coronavirus.

“In Colorado, we are reporting data on sex and age but not race,” Herod wrote in her newsletter. “It is crucial that we start tracking this data so we can understand and address racial inequalities that are especially visible during this time.”

Staff writer Saja Hindi contributed to this report.