California is almost at the bottom of the list in a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that examines the equitable distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine.
California is ranked among the five worst states – along with Kansas, Maryland, Idaho and New Hampshire – in the distribution of vaccines to communities that have seen the worst infection rates during the pandemic.
The report published on Wednesday used data on vaccine coverage – the number of people who received at least one dose – in the first two and a half months of the vaccine’s launch in the United States, from December 14, 2020 to March 1. 2021 At this point, CDC data revealed that 51,873,700 people across the country received at least one dose. The analysis looked at how many of these people who were vaccinated lived in communities identified as vulnerable by the CDC’s social vulnerability index, which is calculated using 15 indicators, including poverty in the area, family demographics and minority status.
A state analysis examined data from 49 states and the District of Columbia, and found that Montana and Arizona have done the best job so far in bringing the vaccine to racial and ethnic groups that have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic and people who are at an economic and social disadvantage. .
The CDC report analyzed the data before California launched its program to focus vaccine efforts on the most vulnerable efforts. In early March, the state began sending 40% of all vaccine doses to residents of 400 CEPs identified as the most vulnerable according to California’s “Healthy Places Index”, which is based on metrics such as income level of education and access to health care.
At the time of the announcement, the state had implemented 1.6 million vaccines in these CEPs. Last Friday, authorities said an additional 2 million shots were fired in these low-income areas.
Ten of the postal codes are in the Bay Area of nine counties, with three in Alameda County, one in Contra Costa, two in San Francisco and four in Solano County. But while the Bay Area represents 20% of the state’s population, only 2% of Bay Area residents fall into the affected zip codes, identified by the new net worth metric.
More than a dozen local lawmakers and dozens of groups signed a letter to the state asking for more vaccines. The letter noted that most of the priority postal codes were in Southern California, with 79 in Los Angeles County and 39 in San Bernardino. However, postal codes in Santa Clara, San Mateo, Marin, Sonoma and Napa were not included.
“The formula excludes postal codes in the bay area that have infection rates almost twice the state’s overall rate,” the letter said. “This is clearly an unfair approach to vaccine distribution and one that is totally at a disadvantage for the Bay Area. This is a matter of life and death for our community. This plan needs to be restructured and recalibrated immediately ”.
Despite resistance from Bay Area lawmakers, Governor Gavin Newsom told KQED on Friday that he is following the plan.
“We are committed to the 40% overlap because it is the right thing to do,” said Newsom. “It’s not just the right thing to do, you have to look at the burden of the disease. It’s been overwhelming in the lower quartile. It’s been overwhelming in communities of color, underserved communities. And therefore, we have a moral obligation. And so do I I would argue this obligation with regard to our economic recovery, to address those who have been disproportionately impacted, who we also disproportionately count as essential workers in terms of vaccination protocols.