While preliminary data show the coronavirus is hitting minority communities especially hard, spotty government data collection and publication could prevent resources from flowing to the communities most ravaged by the pandemic. Congressional Democrats, led by members of the Congressional Black Caucus, are pushing for provisions to address racial and ethnic disparities in a potential “phase four” coronavirus relief package.

Bowser, whose city is among major metropolitan areas including New Orleans and Detroit thought to be impending Covid-19 hot spots, called for “national and local actions” to address health disparities Sunday.

“While this is not new in the Covid-19 response, it certainly calls for national and local actions that are going to change the trajectory for African American health outcomes in our nation,” Bowser said.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot also addressed the stark racial gap in coronavirus death rates. Roughly 68 percent of the city's coronavirus-related deaths have been among African Americans, who make up only about 30 percent of Chicago's population.

"We're seeing similar kinds of numbers reported across the country in large urban centers. And the answer that we believe is right is because of the underlying conditions that people of color and particularly black folks suffer from, whether it's diabetes, heart disease, upper respiratory illnesses," Lightfoot said in an interview on CBS' "Face the Nation." "The kind of things that we've been talking about for a long time that plague black Chicago, that lead to life expectancy gaps. This virus attacks those underlying conditions with a vengeance."

In response, Lightfoot said her administration put together a "racial equity rapid response team" made up of "health care providers, public health clinicians, as well as stakeholders in community — faith community, block clubs."