California on Monday released figures showing that the Covid-19 vaccines have been distributed to date, with black and Latino residents in the state at significantly lower prices than other groups.
Latinos have reportedly received 15% of the doses of nearly 5 million Covid-19 vaccines administered so far in the state, but half of the white population, although Latinos make up the majority of infections and deaths. Black residents received 2.7% of the doses despite 6% of the state’s population.
In the province of Los Angeles, with 10 million inhabitants the most populous county in the US, only 7% of Black residents aged 65 and older received a first vaccination, a significantly lower percentage than the 17% of the white senior residents. at least one shot. Fourteen percent of older Latinos received at least one dose.
“We are concerned about the disproportion we see in who received the vaccine,” said Barbara Ferrer, director of public health in LA.
California has prioritized seniors and health workers in their vaccine distribution plan, but officials and advocates warn that older people in color communities are receiving the vaccine at much lower prices.
“Unfortunately, because of the history of racism and discrimination in the United States, we see that community resources are not being allocated equally,” California California Surgeon General Dr. Nadine Burke Harris said. “We must therefore encourage and pay for achievement if we are to achieve equal results in vulnerable communities.”
The low vaccination rates for residents of Black and Latino in LA are particularly striking, as the communities were most devastated during the pandemic.
Provincial officials recently revealed that the average number of Latino residents dying every day from Covid has increased by more than 1,000% since November. Latinos in the region now suffer 40 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants every day; for Black residents it is 20; for Asian Americans it is 17; and for white residents it is according to the LA Times 14.
Some black lawmakers in LA have criticized the deployment of vaccines, arguing that officials should work better to bring the vaccines directly to the communities hardest hit, instead of relying on large vaccination centers that are inaccessible to certain populations. Officials open six new vaccination stations at clinics and pharmacies in South LA, a black and Latino neighborhood.
“Everyone pretends it’s done in a month or two,” said Karthick Ramakrishnan, founder of the University of California, Riverside’s Center for Social Innovation. “Now is the time to design these systems so that those who are worst affected by Covid, in terms of cases and deaths, are the ones who get shot.”
California Gov. Newsom Gavin Newsom last week announced a federal partnership for mass vaccination centers in Oakland and east Los Angeles, saying the locations were chosen to target working-class “communities that often lag behind.”
“Not only do we want to be fast and efficient, but we want to distribute the vaccine fairly,” Newsom told reporters in San Diego on Monday, where he hinted that a mass vaccination site for farm and food workers in central- California will be announced.
Newsom also said a new state-of-the-art vaccine distribution system managed by California insurer Blue Shield will pay suppliers to offer shots in vulnerable neighborhoods and color communities.
An overwhelming demand for vaccines and shortcomings can discourage people from seeking the shot, especially in communities where many are suspicious of vaccines.
Health officials said working with community groups is key to ensuring that people have access to and receive the vaccine. Riverside County gave more than 600 shots during two visits to the farm-rich Coachella Valley by joining a local group that reported people, said Jose Arballo, a spokesman for the public health agency.
‘We can do a million clinics,’ he said, ‘but if they do not want to come because they are afraid or anxious or afraid that their information will be used as part of immigration enforcement, they are not going to come to us. ”
In the province of Santa Clara, near the San Francisco Bay Area, community leaders have called on Newsom to prioritize doses for zip codes with the highest Covid-19 rates, saying vaccines go to wealthier people with internet access and time on hand.
‘Our message to the governor is simple: prioritize communities hardest hit by this pandemic. It would be a commitment to equity, “said Jessica Paz-Cedillos, executive director of the School of Arts and Culture at the Mexican Heritage Plaza. It is in one of the five zip codes in the province of Santa Clara, where the infection rate is double the national average.