[ad_1]
California released figures on Monday showing the uneven distribution of Covid-19 vaccines to date, with black and Latino residents of the state being inoculated at rates significantly lower than other groups.
Latinos have received 15% of the nearly 5m Covid-19 vaccine doses that have been administered in the state so far, data shows half the rate of white residents, though Latinos make up the majority part of infections and deaths. Black residents received 2.7% of the doses despite making up 6% of the state’s population.
In Los Angeles County, with 10 million people, the most populous county in the United States, only 7% of black residents aged 65 and over received a first injection of the vaccine, a rate significantly lower than that of 17% of elderly white residents who received at least one stroke. Fourteen percent of older Latinos have received at least one dose.
“We are alarmed at the disproportion we are seeing in who received the vaccine,” Los Angeles County Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer said Monday.
California has prioritized the elderly and healthcare workers in its vaccine distribution plan, but officials and advocates are warning 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 are seeing is that these community resources are not distributed evenly,” said California Surgeon General Dr Nadine. Burke Harris. “We must therefore incentivize and pay for performance if we are to achieve equivalent results in vulnerable communities.”
The low vaccination rates of black and Latino residents of Los Angeles are particularly striking given that these communities were the most devastated during the pandemic.
County officials recently revealed that the average number of Latin American residents dying each day from Covid has increased by more than 1,000% since November. Latinos in the region currently suffer 40 deaths per 100,000 population every day; for black residents, this number is 20; for Asian Americans, it’s 17; and for white residents, it’s 14, according to the LA Times.
Some black lawmakers in Los Angeles have criticized the vaccine rollout, saying authorities need to do a better job of getting the vaccines directly to the hardest-hit communities, instead of relying on large vaccination centers that are inaccessible to some populations. Authorities are opening six new vaccination sites in clinics and pharmacies in southern Los Angeles, a black and Latin neighborhood.
“Everyone is saying it’s going to be done in a month or two,” said Karthick Ramakrishnan, founding director of the University of California, Riverside Center for Social Innovation. “Now is the time to design these systems so that those most severely affected by Covid, in terms of cases and deaths, are those with a good chance of getting vaccinated.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom last week announced a federal partnership for mass vaccination sites in Oakland and east of Los Angeles, saying the sites had been chosen to target “working-class communities often left behind. account”.
“Not only do we want rapid and efficient distribution of the vaccine, but we want equitable distribution of the vaccine,” Newsom told reporters Monday in San Diego, where he hinted that a mass vaccination site would soon be announced for agricultural and food workers in central California.
Newsom also said a new vaccine delivery system run by California insurer Blue Shield would pay providers to deliver injections to vulnerable neighborhoods and communities of color.
Overwhelming demand for vaccines and insufficient stocks can discourage people from getting vaccinated, especially in communities where many are wary of vaccines.
Health officials said working with community groups was essential to ensure people had access to and get the vaccine. Riverside County has given more than 600 shots on two visits to the farm-rich Coachella Valley, joining a local group that recruited people, said Jose Arballo, spokesperson for the public health agency.
“We can create a million clinics,” he said, “but if they don’t want to come because they’re afraid, anxious, or worried that their information will be used as part of the enforcement process. immigration law, they won’t. come to us. “
In Santa Clara County, near the San Francisco Bay Area, community leaders have asked Newsom to prioritize doses for zip codes with the highest Covid-19 rates, saying the vaccines are going to people wealthier with Internet access and free time.
“Our message to the governor is simple: prioritize the communities that have been hit hardest by this pandemic. It would be a commitment to fairness, ”said Jessica Paz-Cedillos, executive director of the School of Arts and Culture at Mexican Heritage Plaza, which is located in one of the county’s five zip codes. Santa Clara where the infection rate is double the county average. .
[ad_2]
Source link