The lack of racial data about coronavirus patients is an issue gaining traction around the country. A couple of states have begun reporting the data; Maryland is not one of them.

Since the coronavirus pandemic came to Maryland, state health officials have been releasing information about the cases, like the number of confirmed and negative tests, hospitalizations, age and gender.

But for state Del. Nick Mosby and 79 other lawmakers, that's not enough.

“I think the key is targeted resources, so maybe it will help us develop a plan to ensure that if we know that certain folks in this sector of Maryland are getting sick at an alarming rate, then we can shift resources to those particular communities,” Mosby said to 11 News.

Mosby sent a letter Monday to Gov. Larry Hogan, asking for the state to provide more-detailed data, like ZIP codes and race.

|| Read the delegates' letter to the governor ||

"I believe that Governor Hogan has exhibited tremendous leadership as our state grapples with this global pandemic and I hope that he will lead on this critically important issue as well," Mosby said in a statement. "We must be vigilant in our sworn duty to protect every Marylander and having access to this information will go a long way towards ensuring that we do not further exasperate the structural inequities and disparities that persist in the health and economic outcomes in minority communities."

Mosby said Michigan, Chicago, Milwaukee, and Charlotte, North Carolina, have started releasing this kind of information recently, and it helps show communities of color are suffering from the coronavirus at disproportionate rates.

According to Mosby, Michigan reported black residents have a 35% morbidity rate and a 40% mortality rate due to the coronavirus. African Americans comprise 14.1% of the entire population in the state of Michigan.

In his letter to the governor, Mosby wrote, "If we are not identifying and addressing these disparities as the pandemic progresses, we are effectively leaving Marylanders in the dark."

Not long after Mosby tweeted about the letter he sent, the governor's communications director, Mike Ricci, said, "Our office has received Delegate Mosby's letter and assured him that we will work on this. The Health Department has discussed this issue with him as well. We appreciate the delegate's leadership."

Washington, D.C. released virus data broken down by race for the first time Monday, showing that African Americans are disproportionately represented among the fatalities.

Mosby believes the additional data could be helpful in determining testing locations.

For example and outreach, an opinion shared by Dr. Stephen B. Thomas, a school of Public Health professor at the University of Maryland - College Park.

“By having COVID-19 data by not just age, but also racial and ethnic identifiers, it will ensure that those communitieS are black and Latino communities recognize they are being affected,” said Thomas.

Baltimore City Council President Brandon Scott is introducing new legislation in the city. A City Council bill introduced Monday afternoon would require the Baltimore City Health Department to publish daily coronavirus reports to include race and ZIP code.

"We are trying to make sure we are doing everything we can do to arm ourselves with the information, but also attack this virus in (the) most responsible and respectful way, and you cannot do that in Baltimore without considering race," Scott said. Read more at WBALTV