Vaccine Roll-Out Disparities Demand Immediate Action

ZENAB MCHAOURAB – After almost a year of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are finally at a state of relief with COVID-19 vaccines that have been developed and are being distributed; however, even with this great news, questions arise of whether that recovery is going to be equal, or rather equitable, for all.

In a summer where issues of race and equity were at the forefront of the media, the role of race as it pertained to the COVID-19 pandemic have been examined closely. Because of the connection between race and socioeconomic status, race and risk were also very intertwined. The low paying jobs kept the United States afloat during the pandemic, and these jobs were more often worked by people of color. The blue collar jobs many minorities work are linked with other illnesses as well such as diabetes or lesser access to healthcare. An added hurdle is a widespread distrust in healthcare and the government by many minorities because of events like the Tuskegee Experiments. All these reasons combined put minorities at a higher risk for getting COVID-19 or complications from COVID-19.

With this information in mind, it would make sense that there would be a greater effort to vaccinate large minority populations first, however, several states have been struggling to vaccinate people of color at the necessary levels. In Miami-Dade County, Florida, disparities between the rate at which white residents and black residents are already evident. The population distribution of the county is roughly 79% white and 17.7% black, compared to a 66% and 6.5% vaccination rate respectively (abc). 

Miami-Dade is not alone; New York City is facing a similar disparity. With around 375,000 people already receiving both doses of the vaccine, 46% have been white and 12% have been black. A similar pattern to Miami-Dade is apparent here as black people compose about 25% of the population while white people compose around 44%. This clearly shows a disparity that needs to be fixed.

Conversations of equity are extremely important right now, especially in the context of the disproportionate effects of COVID-19. It is imperative that the COVID-19 vaccine gets distributed equitable if we are to begin a true period of recovery from the pandemic.

Copy Editor: Akshay Nair

Photography Source: Rylan Puent, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/health-equity/race-ethnicity.html