Communities of color, who had already suffered the most from the pandemic, had disproportionately received a smaller percentage of vaccines. Of that, Black people’s vaccination rate is half of white counterparts, and Hispanic people even lower.
In this article, it used data from 38 states which publicly shared data on race and ethnicity for vaccinated people. The hypothesis is that the patterns are clear across the US.
The conclusion is that people of color are vaccinated below their share in the population. There are several reasons for it; Black and Hispanic people are less likely to have access to make online appointments, their work schedules conflict with available appointments, dependable transportation is not available, and little access to vaccine information and education.
Recognizing the disparities, states have started to address the issue by: bringing vaccines to hard-hit communities and partnering with local groups for education in multiple languages and culturally sensible. Professionals are trying to monitor if these efforts are effective in narrowing the gaps in vaccination coverage.
Read the full article here