More Transparency Needed in Oneida County Coronavirus Statistics: Statement of Samantha DeRiso, President, Central New York Labor Council
Statement of Samantha DeRiso, President, Central New York Labor Council
For Immediate Release:
April 9, 2020
Contact: Eric Kopp, cnylc.press@gmail.com, (201) 286-5795
Libby Militello, libbymilitello@gmail.com, (315) 601-7561
Note: Yesterday, Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente Jr. released the gender and age makeup of positive coronavirus cases. This marks the first time that the County has released demographic information of this sort.
County Executive Picente has been an effective and stalwart leader during this pandemic. His rapid response has made Oneida County the model for the rest of Central New York.
However, transparency should always be the top priority. The release of gender age statistics marks an important step, but it isn’t enough.
Across this country, we are seeing that African-Americans and other racial minority groups are dying at an alarmingly disproportionate rate. That could very likely be the case in Oneida County as well.
County residents deserve to know the full scale of this battle. The release of racial statistics would allow all levels of government and community groups to better focus their resources.
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