Less than 25 percent of Black Americans have reportedly received their first COVID-19 shot
As of Monday, less than 25 percent of Black Americans have received their first COVID-19 shot. Health experts tell Politico that "ingrained" government skepticism, lack of transportation, inability to take time off, and deficient community outreach could explain the lag. Meanwhile, vaccination rates among other minority groups, like Hispanic Americans and Asian Americans, continue to rise following government outreach.
According to the Biden administration and public health experts, it's not that minority populations are "openly hostile" to vaccines, it's that they need "reassurance and prodding," Politico writes. Octavio Martinez, a member of the White House's COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force, said the government's equity-focused efforts will require "relationship building and it's going to take a little longer." He added, "We have a systemic issue here."
In Washington, D.C., Black Americans constitute nearly 8 in 10 new cases and close to 90 percent of deaths since May 1. White House efforts that have succeeded elsewhere have yet to gain "similar traction" in Black communities, per Politico.
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.
"It's going to take a lot of effort from a lot of different places," said Reed Tuckson, founder of the Black Coalition Against COVID-19. Tuckson has partnered with the White House on a program to get Black-owned barber shops and beauty salons to promote vaccines and host vaccination sites.
Advocates are hopeful efforts like the barbershop initiative can close the racial vaccination gap and push the nation closer to having administered at least one shot to 70 percent of adults, President Biden's July 4 goal.
Osaremen Okolo, a policy adviser on the White House COVID-19 response team, said all of the administration's equity initiatives are "intended to uplift the Black community," writes Politico. She added, "We are not leaving anyone behind." Read more at Politico.
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
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
Post Office's Capture software to be reviewed over 'glitches'
Speed Read Solicitor representing accused postmasters says flaws in the IT system follow 'very similar pattern' to Horizon
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
How would we know if World War Three had started?
Today's Big Question With conflicts in Ukraine, Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific, the 'spark' that could ignite all-out war 'already exists'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Death Cafe: where people talk mortality over tea and cake
Why everyone's talking about The meet-ups are intended to offer a judgement-free and respectful space to discuss the end of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Texas dairy worker gets bird flu from infected cow
Speed Read The virus has been spreading among cattle in Texas, Kansas, Michigan and New Mexico
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Dengue hits the Americas hard and early
Speed Read Puerto Rico has declared an epidemic as dengue cases surge
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Covid four years on: have we got over the pandemic?
Today's Big Question Brits suffering from both lockdown nostalgia and collective trauma that refuses to go away
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK 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
-
The hollow classroom
Opinion Remote school let kids down. It will take much more than extra tutoring for kids to recover.
By Mark Gimein Published
-
Excess screen time is making children only see what is in front of them
Under the radar The future is looking blurry. And very nearsighted.
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Covid-19: what to know about UK's new Juno and Pirola variants
in depth Rapidly spreading new JN.1 strain is 'yet another reminder that the pandemic is far from over'
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Long-term respiratory illness is here to stay
The Explainer Covid is not the only disease with a long version
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published