State officials say they are sending more doses to the most affected communities.
About a quarter of California’s population has received an injection of the coronavirus vaccine so far, according to data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. However, most of the photos so far appear to have gone to less vulnerable populations than others.
State health officials say they are working to improve these numbers.
The CDC released a report last week that measured the release of vaccines in the county regarding “social vulnerability”. The vulnerability index included several factors, including race, education, poverty level and housing, which the agency noted was also related to higher rates of coronavirus.
“The results of this study indicate that COVID-19 vaccination coverage was lower in high-vulnerability counties than in low-vulnerability counties, a finding largely driven by socioeconomic disparities,” said the report.
The report examined about 49 million vaccines distributed between December 14 and March 1. Of the 48 states surveyed in the report, California ranked 44th in terms of vaccination among residents in the most socially vulnerable counties. About one in four shots went to these counties, the CDC said.
The states that fell below California in the distribution of vaccines in the most vulnerable counties were Kansas, Maryland, Idaho and New Hampshire.
The CDC report acknowledged that states have different strategies for implementing vaccination and that, since doses were distributed based on population density, less vulnerable counties may have received more vaccines. The agency also reiterated that each state’s list of priorities for eligible patients is different.
During the first few months of implementation, California prioritized medical workers, the elderly, and the most at-risk residents.
The CDC highlighted Montana, Arizona and Alaska, where 40% of vaccines went to high socially vulnerable counties. The report noted that these states took early steps to reach out to vulnerable populations through outreach, especially through tribal health organizations, targeting vaccines to these communities and, in some cases, offering free transportation to the sites.
“The promotion, dissemination and administration of vaccination can focus on highly vulnerable populations within counties (for example, providing resources for federally qualified health centers when socioeconomic disparities are identified),” recommended the report.
On March 4, the governor of California, Gavin Newsom, and state health officials announced a plan to double the allocation of vaccines in the most affected areas, in order to address the inequities in vaccine launch. In a statement to ABC News, the California Department of Public Health said the CDC report highlights its latest efforts to bring vaccines to the state’s most vulnerable communities.
“With the implementation of the State Vaccine Network, the state will be able to collect accurate data on who has been vaccinated and direct vaccines and resources to communities where vaccinations have been delayed,” the department said in the statement.