The United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has released its first breakdown of Covid-19 case data by race, showing that 30 per cent of patients whose race was known were black. The federal data was missing racial information for 75pc of all cases, however, and did not include any demographic breakdown of deaths.

The latest Associated Press analysis of available state and local data shows that nearly one-third of those who have died are African American, with black people representing about 14pc of the population in the areas covered in the analysis.

Health conditions that exist at higher rates in the black community — obesity, diabetes and asthma — make African Americans more susceptible to the virus. They also are more likely to be uninsured, and often report that medical professionals take their ailments less seriously when they seek treatment.

Read the full AP story here.