Biden promised COVID-19 vaccine equity. There isn't enough data to know if that's happening.
Almost a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, infections, deaths, and economic effects continue to hit people of color harder than white people.
President Biden acknowledged the virus' disproportionate toll, particularly on Black and Latino people, when taking office, pledging to put equity at the forefront of vaccine distribution efforts. But after two months of vaccine distribution, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention doesn't have enough data to know if it's actually achieving that goal, The New York Times reports.
So far, the CDC has gathered race and ethnicity data for just 52 percent of COVID-19 vaccine recipients, a report issued last week indicated. Some states prevent the collection or sharing of this kind of data, while other times, those fields are just left blank when people sign up to receive the vaccine. Epidemiologists have since been forced to begin "filling in the gaps by cross-referencing against secondary sources," Arkansas' health secretary Dr. José Romero told the Times.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Biden administration has prioritized sending vaccines to underserved areas, including with a shipment of vaccines headed to federally funded clinics next week. But former Baltimore health commissioner Dr. Leana S. Wen said the typical "first-come, first-served" method of distribution still favors the "privileged." And it's not just an "empathy issue," Dr. Marcus Plescia, chief medical officer of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, told the Times. Identifying groups "most likely to get affected and die" is the best way to control disease spread in the first place, he said.
The lack of data is sure to complicate an already slow distribution process. As two senior Biden administration officials tell The Daily Beast, the U.S. seems unlikely to reach herd immunity until after Thanksgiving thanks to supply issues and concerning variants driving up transmission.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
'The House under GOP rule has become a hostile workplace'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
The Shohei Ohtani gambling scandal is about more than bad bets
In The Spotlight The firestorm surrounding one of baseball's biggest stars threatens to upend a generational legacy and professional sports at large
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Feds raid Diddy homes in alleged sex trafficking case
Speed Read Homeland Security raided the properties of hip hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US bans final type of asbestos
Speed Read Exposure to asbestos causes about 40,000 deaths in the U.S. each year
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Seattle Children's Hospital sues Texas over 'sham' demand for transgender medical records
Speed Read Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton subpoenaed records of any Texan who received gender-affirming care at the Washington hospital
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Afghanistan has a growing female suicide problem
Speed Read The Taliban has steadily whittled away women's and girls' rights in Afghanistan over the past 2 years, prompting a surge in depression and suicide
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US life expectancy rose in 2022 but not to pre-pandemic levels
Speed Read Life expectancy is slowly crawling back up
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Vallance diaries: Boris Johnson 'bamboozled' by Covid science
Speed Read Then PM struggled to get his head around key terms and stats, chief scientific advisor claims
By The Week UK Published
-
An increasing number of dog owners are 'vaccine hesitant' about rabies
Speed Read A new survey points to canine vaccine hesitancy
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Anger may be a powerful motivator for tough goals, new study suggests
Speed Read Keeping your cool might actually be less efficient than letting your anger drive you
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
A tropical skin disease is making the rounds in the US
Speed Read Leishmaniasis is endemic to the country and can cause ulcers and disfiguration
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published