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More vaccines for rich whites than for black and Latino minorities. Why the inequality?

2021-02-04T02:37:42.261Z


Communities most affected by the pandemic, with the worst mortality rates, have less access to the vaccine. We explain what is behind this inequality and what some cities are doing about it.


In the first weeks of the vaccination campaign, 12% of the people who received a dose in Philadelphia were black, in a city where 44% of the population belongs to this race.

This disproportion is similarly repeated in New York, Miami-Dade, Washington, and districts across the country. 

Although lower-income communities, black and Latino, are the most affected by the pandemic and soaring death rates from the virus, they have less access to vaccines.

In contrast, wealthy and white neighborhood

populations

have crashed vaccination appointments

and taken over much of the supplies, officials warn in a New York Times report. 

The wealthiest have even gone to seek doses in the poorer neighborhoods.

George Jones, director of a health center for poor people in Washington, says that when the city launched vaccination for people over 65, something incredible happened. 

Suddenly, our clinic was full of white people

,” says Jones, who runs the nonprofit Bread for the City (Bread for the City).

It was something that had never happened to them.

“We always serve people who are largely African-American,” he explained. 

[This vaccination center was opened for Latinos, but is saturated with whites from other neighborhoods]

In that city,

40% of the almost 7,000 first appointments enabled

were taken by residents of the richest and most white neighborhood, which is located in the northwest section and which recorded only 5% of the deaths from COVID-19 in the city . 

Low rate of vaccination against COVID-19 of Latinos reflects inequalities in the country

Feb. 4, 202100: 59

"We want people to be vaccinated regardless of their race and geographic location, but I think the priority should be people who contract COVID-19 at the highest rates and who die from the virus," said Kenyan McDuffie, Councilor for the city, to The New York Times.

The most disadvantaged communities face

a number of obstacles

, including difficulties in making appointments by phone or the Internet, or lack of transportation or time to get to get a dose.

But also, there is great skepticism about vaccines in Black and Latino communities, which impacts enrollment rates.

Partisan obstacles to overcoming inequality

Many other cities are trying to rectify inequalities.

Baltimore will offer the vaccine in senior housing complexes, going door to door.

"The key with the mobile approach is that you can get a lot of people at the same time, if we have enough supplies to do that," said city health commissioner Letitia Dzirasa. 

In other areas, like Wake County in North Carolina, priority is being given to districts with the highest rates of the disease. 

["They're experiencing the worst of the pandemic": Latino COVID-19 deaths in Los Angeles skyrocket]

However, health officials warn that the task ahead is not easy.

To a large extent, the ability of localities to address inequalities depends on how much control they have over their own vaccine allocations and

whether their political leadership aligns

with that of county or state supervisory authorities.

The Texas State Department of Health, which has a Republican governor, overruled a plan by Dallas County, mostly Democratic, to administer vaccines to certain minority neighborhoods first. 

Biden vows to prioritize the health of Latinos and other minorities impacted by the pandemic

Jan. 22, 202 101: 53

Distrust of new vaccines

Even successful efforts to target impoverished neighborhoods run into another problem: Many Black and Latino people hesitate to get the vaccine.

A follow-up survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation, conducted just before President Joe Biden took office, found that while the proportion of people who wanted to get vaccinated as soon as possible had risen since December, 43% of black adults and

37% of Latinos said they wanted to "wait and see how"

the vaccine works, compared to 26% of whites.

A medical worker supplies a Pfizer vaccine against COVID-19 in Seattle.

AP

Julie Gonzales, a state senator from Denver, says public health experts and outreach campaigns need to be attuned to the cultural nuances of different generations among Latinos.

"It's one thing to talk to an old-school Chicano who has been here for generations versus someone who is concerned about whether the Immigration Service (ICE) might find their personal information if they try to get vaccinated." Gonzales said. 

Washington has put in place a new policy: to offer the first day of new appointments to people who live in the zip codes with the highest rates of the pandemic.

The number of workers helping people to make appointments over the phone also quadrupled, among other measures. 

[White people are being vaccinated against COVID-19 more than blacks and Latinas]

Still, Jones of Bread for the City said that even with the new system, almost none of the people who came to his clinic to get vaccinated were his regular patients.

He then began communicating with members of his community and, with the permission of the city, reserved all of his first doses for themselves and for clients of other social service organizations. 

"It's not just about saving places for people," Jones said.

"

Somehow we have to persuade them to use those quotes,

" he added. 

A focus on essential workers 

In Philadelphia, health officials found vaccine numbers to be lowest among the city's nursing home workers and hospital attendants, many of whom are black.

In Los Angeles, Hispanic Deaths From COVID-19 Rise 1,000% Since November

Jan. 29, 202100: 37

Now the city has expanded eligibility and

the distribution is expected to be more equitable

.

The vaccine is intended for residents with high-risk medical conditions, as well as first aid workers, those who work on public transportation, and in retail and food service positions. 

["A critical situation": Latino businesses on the brink of bankruptcy due to the pandemic]

"A lot of these are people who are paid less, tend to be from communities of color and are at high risk because they are exposed to so many people," said James Garrow, spokesman for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health.

With information from The New York Times. 

Source: telemundo

All news articles on 2021-02-04

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