NOW LAW: Corrado Measure Will Study Demographics of Hospitalized COVID Patients

New Jersey hospitals will now be required to report COVID-19 demographic data due to a new law sponsored by Senator Kristin Corrado.

“Coronavirus has had a devastating impact on our state and the nation, appearing to disproportionately impact men and the African-American community,” said Senator Kristin Corrado (R-40). “The more demographic information we can gather from our hospitals on infections, the better we can identify, react, study, and prevent new COVID-19 cases in vulnerable populations. Arming our health commissioner with data and case statistics can help match medical care to those at greater risk.”

The bipartisan bill, S-2357, will require hospitals to report COVID-19 demographic data to the Commissioner of Health, including the age, ethnicity, gender, and race of patients who tested positive for COVID-19 and those who have died.

Additionally, hospitals must detail the number of people who attempted to get treatment, the number of patients admitted for treatment, and the number of people who attempted to get tested and were turned away.

The Department of Health will publish and update this data daily on their website until the end of the declared health emergency.