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In Palm Beach County, where blacks make up 18% of the population, only 4.1% had been vaccinated as of March 1.
Rather, the vaccine drives held for black communities in rural Florida are visited by wealthy white residents who then receive the COVID-19 vaccination for residents.
Read more: California to give 40% of vaccine doses to vulnerable areas
According to STAT news, the farming communities of Pahokee, Fla., a city in Palm Beach County, have a population of about 60% black and one-third of its residents are Hispanic. However, many of the coronavirus vaccinations sent to residents have gone to white people. The report found that white residents of communities such as Stuart, West Palm Beach and Miami, traveled to the rural area for their dose of the vaccine.
The outlet reported in Palm Beach County, where Blacks make up 18% of residents and Hispanics 21.7%, each group received only 4.1% and 4.7% of the vaccines administered respectively, to March 1.
“It’s frustrating. But it was the state’s decision not to allow us to do an appointment system there. It was their decision to do this first come, first served,” said Palm Beach County Commissioner Melissa McKinlay the media said. McKinlay and Tammy Jackson-Moore, the co-founder of the nonprofit Guardians of the Glades, only learned of the details of the first vaccination campaign the day before the event.
Governor of Florida Ron DeSantis called on the Publix supermarket chain to facilitate the deployment of vaccines and making appointments. However, for residents of rural communities such as Pahokee or Belle Glade, the nearest location is over 20 miles.
Although Publix recently donated $ 100,000 to his campaign, the governor said it had no impact on his decision, according to STAT. Organizers and other politicians pushed against the decision which resulted in the state’s emergency management division set aside vaccines for local distribution.
Once the vaccination campaigns were launched, residents of the community and anyone who arrived by car were able to get the vaccine as there was no registry for the health services event. According to the outlet, many people have traveled miles to get the vaccines intended for the underserved community.
Read more: COVID-19 vaccine shipments to African countries accelerate
The vaccine sent to Pahooke is the Moderna brand which comes in vials of 10 or 11 doses and depending on STAT, once opened, all doses should be used within six hours. Levis Bouffard and Mario Bureau were told about the vaccination campaigns by a friend who warned them not to share the information so the supply wouldn’t run out, according to the report. The couple drove over an hour from Boynton Beach and asked when they could buy vaccines for their wives under 65.
The people of Pahokee have worked to publicize the available vaccines, especially after being vaccinated themselves.
“I don’t think there has been a lot of promotion,” said a resident Michael assam to the media by sending friends the necessary information.
Shellie Myers, a 70-year-old Pahokee resident was able to get vaccinated in a car after being confused by the Publix registration system.
“I would have taken it as soon as I could,” he says. “But I am computer illiterate. Many people do not have a computer and have no one who can do it for them. “
“There is a lot of history, there is a lot of trauma. This is the reason why a segment of our population does not believe they have the same privilege and the same access ”, declared Jaime-Lee Bradshaw, Head of Strategic Initiatives at Community Partners of South Florida.
The non-profit organization employs workers who provide post-treatment care to patients once vaccinated, as well as meals and contact tracing. They are not officially considered health workers and, in turn, are not on the front lines for vaccines.
DeSantis has already been called in for the vaccine rollout in the Sunshine State. theGrio reported that the governor was accused of providing thousands of coronavirus vaccines to wealthy communities and ignoring all others. A so-called “VIP list” guaranteed who had priority access to the COVID-19 vaccine.
The Republican Manatee County Commission chairperson, the report said Vanessa Baugh was responsible for distributing the vaccine fairly, but instead created a list with her name and friends.
“If Manatee County doesn’t like us doing this, then we’re totally okay with putting this in counties that want it and we’re totally happy to do it,” DeSantis exclaimed, according to theGrio. “So anyone that says that, let us know, if you want us to send it to Sarasota next time, to Charlotte or Pasco or wherever, let us know; we are happy to do so.
Additional reporting by Keydra Manns
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Post-vaccine doses for black Florida communities given to white residents first appeared on TheGrio.
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