Just a few weeks after the coronavirus vaccine was launched in California, evidence of injustices is emerging as to who is receiving the drug, leading to growing demands that vulnerable communities receive more attention.
Los Angeles County officials said they were concerned about low vaccination numbers among health workers in southern Los Angeles and other black communities, while advocates of essential workers were concerned that California’s new priority vaccination plan would slow their capacity to get vaccinated, despite the dangers inherent in their jobs.
The county’s Department of Public Health released demographic data on Tuesday, showing a significantly lower rate of vaccinations for health professionals living in southern Los Angeles, home to large populations of black and Latino residents, compared to other regions.
Public health director Barbara Ferrer told the Board of Supervisors that her agency was “particularly concerned” about the low rate of vaccination among health professionals living in southern Los Angeles. In response, the county will open six vaccination sites there, including the outpatient center at Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital, St. John’s Well Child & Family Center and three Rite Aid pharmacies.
“There may be many problems that contribute to the lower vaccination rates that we are seeing in some communities, but the only problem that we do not want to account for a lower vaccination rate is that there was not good access to places for people to be vaccinated” said Ferrer.
The data presented does not include vaccinations given by the health departments of Pasadena and Long Beach, by Walgreens or CVS, or by major health systems, including Kaiser Permanente. But it did show that the number of doses administered to workers living in the Westside, in the west of the San Fernando Valley, in the South Bay and in parts of the San Gabriel Valley were relatively higher than in the south of LA
But even with the incomplete snapshot, supervisor Hilda Solis said it was clear that there was a disparity among black health workers who were vaccinated compared to other racial groups. She said the rates between Native American and Latino residents were also too low.
“I know that there are a large number of other populations that are receiving the vaccine at higher rates than others, and I would just like to ask: What are we going to do?” Said Solis.
Among the county’s health workforce, black officials asked to be vaccinated at far lower rates than any other racial or ethnic group, another worrying trend.
Among just over 4,000 Black employees, just under a third received the vaccine. More than half did not request, according to data from the Department of Health Services.
Other racial and ethnic groups are seeing much higher rates of vaccination.
Among 7,500 Latino health workers in the county’s Department of Health Services, about half received the COVID-19 vaccine and another 15% requested it. Most Asian-American and white officials also received or requested the vaccine.
Dr. Christina Ghaly, the agency’s director, said it is a trend seen not only among county health staff, but also in hospitals and private clinics in LA County.
Black officials said they were not vaccinated because they still had many doubts about the vaccine, as to whether it can cause COVID-19, she said. (It cannot; the vaccine does not include the coronavirus.)
Ferrer said that some people prefer to wait a while before getting the vaccine until they see other people taking it, and she said everything is fine.
“We are very confident that the data available says it is very safe and effective,” said Ferrer.
Experts had long hoped that vaccine hesitation would be a problem, even among those who have dealt with long-standing systemic racism in the health system, fueling distrust in some communities.
Only 32% of black adults across the country say they would definitely or probably get a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the Pew Research Center.
“We have a long history in this country and in other countries that makes it difficult for people to trust some of the medical advances that we are promoting,” said Ferrer.
Inequalities arise in the midst of a growing debate about the state’s implementation plans. The vaccine remains scarce and the available times are supposed to be filled in several places in the state. To date, more than 2.5 million doses have been administered across the state and more than 4.6 million doses have been sent to local health departments and providers.
Governor Gavin Newsom’s announcement on Monday that the state would start prioritizing vaccination for people based on their age has raised concerns in groups representing some essential workers and people with disabilities who may now have to wait longer.
Prior to Newsom’s announcement, the state intended to prioritize several new groups after California ended vaccinating people aged 65 and over, including residents in incarcerated and homeless settings, essential workers and individuals with underlying health problems.
It is now unclear when these groups would be vaccinated.
Officials said California will implement a statewide eligibility standard beginning in mid-February – allowing those working in education and daycare, emergency services and the agricultural and food sector to start scheduling vaccine appointments depending on availability. Health professionals and those over 65 would also remain a priority.
“Californians were understandably confused by the confused messages and eligibility variability across the state: ‘When’s my turn, who’s next?’” Said Yolanda Richardson, secretary of the state’s Government Operations Agency, during a press conference. on Tuesday.
A more uniform structure, she said, “will make it easier for Californians to understand who is eligible to make an appointment to be vaccinated.”
State officials insist that equity remains a key factor in the way the vaccine is being implemented.
“We don’t want equity and speed in conflict with each other,” added Dr. Mark Ghaly, California’s secretary of health and human services. “It is an important equity principle to obtain vaccines for those who suffer a disproportionate impact [doses] quickly.”
Part of that equation, he said during a briefing on Tuesday, is “to make sure we have real-time data” to assess whether these efforts are paying off and make adjustments, if necessary.
A slide he presented offered some additional considerations – that “vaccines will be allocated to ensure that low-income neighborhoods and communities of color have access” and that “providers will be compensated in part for their ability to reach communities needy. “
Mark Ghaly said that “the worst thing is when people don’t know where they are in the queue” and that, when adjusting their processes, the state is “listening to a lot of feedback, doing what I would say are difficult decisions, but trying to make sure that they are clear and simple to follow. “
“Using an age-based structure helps us get there,” he said.
Not everyone agrees.
A coalition of more than 60 community organizations on Tuesday asked Newsom to reconsider.
The new approach would leave hundreds of thousands of low-income workers, inmates and homeless people vulnerable to the deadly virus, said Najee Ali, an activist in southern Los Angeles and part of the Community Response System of South Los Angeles coalition.
“It is a life and death situation for essential black and Latino workers,” he said.
County supervisor Holly Mitchell said she worries that the state is moving towards a vaccine distribution structure that may not “address what is really needed to provide a truly equitable and ethical vaccine program when you look. for communities that are being disproportionately affected by the virus ”.
Mitchell noted that Latino residents in LA County are dying from COVID-19 at three times the rate of white residents, and the death rate from COVID-19 among people living in the poorest neighborhoods in LA County is almost four times the rate of residents in the wealthiest areas.
“If our ultimate goal is to reduce rates of infection, hospitalization and mortality, we have to figure out how to reach those who are really most at risk,” said Mitchell.
Defenders of the disabled are also concerned about not being included in the criteria.
“It looks like more bad news for people with disabilities,” said Andy Imparato, of Disability Rights California, after Mark Ghaly’s briefing. “They mentioned race and marginalized populations, but they did not mention people with disabilities.”
Solis said that some Los Angeles County residents traveled from afar to get the vaccines. On Friday, Solis said more than 100 elderly people received their first dose at LA County-USC Medical Center in Boyle Heights.
“I met an 82-year-old woman in line, pushing her son who uses a wheelchair … and I was very impressed by her resilience,” said Solis. A 67-year-old man took three buses from South Gate to take the photo before heading to his restaurant in Downey.
Solis asked why he came and he replied: “Because it is a question of my life and also of supporting my family”.
Times staff writer Erika D. Smith contributed to this report.