In Palm Beach County, where blacks make up 18% of the population, only 4.1% have been vaccinated by March 1.
Vaccination campaigns carried out for black communities in rural Florida are, instead, being visited by wealthy white residents who receive immunization against COVID-19 for locals.
Read more: California will give 40% of vaccine doses to vulnerable areas
According STAT News, the farming communities of Pahokee, Florida, a city in Palm Beach County, have a population of about 60% black and a third of its residents are Hispanic. However, many of the coronavirus vaccines sent to residents were for white people. The report found that white residents of communities like Stuart, West Palm Beach and Miami traveled to the countryside to get the vaccine.
The agency reported in Palm Beach County, where blacks represent 18% of residents and Hispanics 21.7%, each group had received only 4.1% and 4.7% of vaccines administered, respectively, by March 1.
“It’s frustrating. But it’s the state’s decision not to allow us to make a booking system at this location. It was their decision to make it first come, first serve,” Palm Beach County Commissioner. Melissa McKinlay he told the media. McKinlay and Tammy Jackson-Moore, the co-founder of the nonprofit Guardians of the Glades, only learned about the details of the first vaccination campaign the night before the event.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis enlisted the Publix supermarket chain to facilitate vaccine distribution and scheduling appointments, however, for residents of rural communities like Pahokee or Belle Glade, the nearest location is more than 20 miles away.
Although Publix recently donated $ 100,000 to his campaign, the governor said it did not affect his decision, according to STATE. Organizers and other politicians pressed against the decision, which resulted in the state’s Emergency Management Division separating vaccines for local distribution.
After vaccination campaigns were started, the residents of the community and whoever came by car were able to obtain the vaccine because there was no record of the health service event. According to the vehicle, several people drove kilometers to obtain vaccines for the needy community.
Read more: Deliveries of the COVID-19 vaccine to African countries are picking up speed
The vaccine sent to Pahooke is of the Moderna brand that comes in bottles of 10 or 11 doses and according to STATE, once opened, all doses should be used within six hours. Levis Bouffard and Mario Bureau were informed of vaccination campaigns by a friend who warned them not to disclose the information so that the supply would not decrease, according to the report. The pair drove for more than an hour from Boynton Beach and asked when they could buy vaccines for their wives under 65.
Local Pahokee residents have been working to spread the word about available vaccines, especially after they have been vaccinated.
“I don’t think there was much promotion,” said the local resident Michael Assam to the media, while texting friends with the necessary information.
Shellie Myers, a 70-year-old Pahokee resident managed to get a vaccine by the unit after being confused by the Publix registration system.
“I would have accepted it as soon as I could,” he said. “But I am illiterate in computers. Many people don’t have a computer and they don’t have someone who can do it for them. “
“There is a lot of history, a lot of trauma. This is the reason why a segment of our population does not believe they have the same privilege and access ”, said Jaime-Lee Bradshaw, director of strategic initiatives at Community Partners of South Florida.
The nonprofit organization employs workers who provide aftercare to patients once vaccinated, as well as providing meals and contact tracking. They are not officially considered health professionals and, in turn, are not at the forefront of vaccines.
DeSantis was previously summoned to launch the vaccine in the State of the Sun. theGrio reported that the governor was accused of providing thousands of coronavirus vaccines to wealthy communities and ignoring all others. An alleged “VIP List” guaranteed who would have priority access to the COVID-19 vaccine.
According to the report, the President of the Republican Commission for Manatee County Vanessa Baugh had a responsibility to distribute the vaccine fairly, but instead, she created a list with her name and her friends.
“If Manatee County doesn’t like us to do this, then we are totally fine with putting it in the counties that want it and we are totally happy to do that,” exclaimed DeSantis, according to theGrio. “So, anyone who says that will let us know, if they want us to send it to Sarasota next time or Charlotte or Pasco or anywhere else, let us know; we are happy to do that. “
Additional reporting by Keydra Manns
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Post-vaccine doses for black Florida communities given to white residents first appeared on TheGrio.