New Demographic Data Reporting Requirements for Laboratories June 5, 2020
Written by MSDC Staff
On Thursday, the federal government announced that laboratories testing for COVID-19 will be required to report race, ethnic, and other demographics of persons tested. The new requirements begin August 1.
According to The Washington Post, the new guidance will be required for diagnostic and antibody tests. There are a total of 18 pieces of information required and labs must report the information within 24 hours of the test to the local health department.
Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services Admiral Brett Giroir admitted on a conference call that the reason for the updated testing requirement is to better provide equitable resources and testing. He identified that currently it is hard to allocate resources to underserved communities, and the new data will help the federal government address these issues.
Read the entire requirements here.