California released data on Monday showing the uneven distribution of Covid-19 vaccines to date, with black and Latino residents in the state being vaccinated at significantly lower rates than other groups.
Latinos have received 15% of the nearly 5 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine administered in the state so far, according to the data, half the rate of white residents, although Latinos are the majority of infections and deaths. Black residents received 2.7% of doses, despite representing 6% of the state’s population.
In Los Angeles County, with 10 million residents the most populous county in the United States, only 7% of black residents aged 65 and older received their first injection of the vaccine, a rate significantly lower than 17% of elderly white residents who received at least one shot. Fourteen percent of older Latinos received at least one dose.
“We are alarmed at the disproportionality we see in those who received the vaccine,” said LA County public health director Barbara Ferrer on Monday.
California has prioritized seniors and health professionals in its vaccine distribution plan, but officials and advocates are warning that older people in communities of color are receiving the vaccine at much lower rates.
“Unfortunately, due to the history of racism and discrimination in the United States, what we see is that these community resources are not allocated evenly,” said California surgeon general Dr. Nadine Burke Harris. “So we have to encourage and pay for performance if we want to achieve equivalent results in vulnerable communities.”
The low vaccination rates for black and Latino residents in LA are particularly impressive, given that these communities were the most devastated during the pandemic.
County officials recently revealed that the average number of Latino residents who die from Covid each day has increased by more than 1,000% since November. Latinos in the region are suffering 40 deaths per 100,000 residents each day; for black residents, that number is 20; for Asian Americans, 17; and for white residents, it’s 14, according to the LA Times.
Some black lawmakers in LA have criticized the launch of vaccines, arguing that officials needed to do a better job of bringing vaccines directly to the most affected communities, rather than relying on large vaccination centers inaccessible to certain populations. Authorities are opening six new vaccination sites in clinics and pharmacies in southern Los Angeles, a black and Latin neighborhood.
“Everyone is pretending that this is going to be done in a month or two,” said Karthick Ramakrishnan, founding director of the University of California, Riverside’s Center for Social Innovation. “Now is the time to design these systems so that those who are most severely affected by Covid, in terms of cases and deaths, are those who have a fair chance of getting a chance.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom last week announced a federal partnership for mass vaccination sites in Oakland and eastern Los Angeles, saying the sites were chosen to target “working class communities that are often left behind. “.
“We want not only fast and efficient, but also an equitable distribution of the vaccine,” Newsom told reporters on Monday in San Diego, where he suggested that a mass vaccination site would be announced soon for agricultural and food workers in the center of the city. California.
Newsom also said that a new statewide vaccine distribution system administered by California’s Blue Shield insurer would pay suppliers to offer vaccines in vulnerable neighborhoods and black communities.
The overwhelming demand for vaccines and scarce supplies can discourage people from seeking the injection, especially in communities where many suspect vaccines.
Health officials said working with community groups was instrumental in ensuring that people have access to and receive the vaccine. Riverside County administered more than 600 vaccines during two visits to the farm-rich Coachella valley by joining a local group that enrolled people, said Jose Arballo, a spokesman for a public health agency.
“We can do a million clinics,” he said, “but if they don’t want to come because they’re afraid or anxious or afraid that their information will be used as part of immigration enforcement, they won’t come to us.”
In Santa Clara County, near the San Francisco Bay area, community leaders asked Newsom to prioritize doses for postal codes with the highest Covid-19 rates, saying vaccines are going to wealthier people with internet access and available time.
“Our message to the governor is simple: prioritize the communities that have been most affected by this pandemic. That would be a commitment to equity, ”said Jessica Paz-Cedillos, executive director of the Mexican Heritage Plaza School of Arts and Culture, which is located in one of the five zip codes in Santa Clara County, where the infection rate is twice the rate. county average.