Two new reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention detail who received the COVID-19 vaccines during the first month of the United States’ vaccination program. Of the 13 million Americans who received at least one dose between December 14 and January 14, 63% were women and 55% were 55 or older, according to reports released on Monday.
The new data revealed a worrying trend in nursing home settings. While almost 78% of residents received at least one dose of vaccine, only 38% of team members were vaccinated, suggesting barriers to vaccination for the team that “need to be overcome”, according to the CDC.
The racial discrimination of those who were vaccinated is less clear. Since several jurisdictions are not reporting a division by race, data on about half of the people who were vaccinated are missing. Based on the data currently available, 60% of people who received vaccines were white, 12% were Hispanic and 5% were black, the CDC reported.
As vaccination implantation continues, “it is critical to ensure efficient and equitable administration to people in each successive vaccine priority category, especially those with the highest risk of infection and serious health outcomes,” said the CDC.
Sony Salzman -ABC News’ contributed to this report.