By Arika Shaikh and Kalyani Ballur
The Augusta (Ga.) Chronicle, April 29, 2021
Should race determine who gets the COVID-19 vaccine? The answer is no. However, despite recent vaccination efforts, clear disparities exist in America’s vaccine distribution plan.
A New York Times analysis from March reported that the vaccination rate for Black Americans is half that of white and the gap for Hispanics is even greater. Furthermore, CDC data showed that approximately 66% of those who received the vaccine were white, 11% were Hispanic, 9% were Black, 5% were Asian, and 1% were American Indian with other groups having low rates as well.
With greater exposure to the virus working in front-line jobs and having high rates of comorbidities such as diabetes and obesity, people of color are at even more of a risk for severe COVID-19 infection. It is clear that the communities that are being the most affected by the pandemic have the slowest vaccination rates.
There are multiple variables that come into play with vaccine access and distribution. They span from the level of the federal government to individual communities. One analyst compares the vaccine rollout similar to purchasing tickets to a concert: it depends on availability, access, and responsiveness.
Initially with the vaccination guidelines, it was not taken into consideration the specific health makeup of the African- American community. The average life expectancy of African Americans falls below 75 years of age, which was the cutoff for the first phase of vaccine eligibility. From the beginning, this put Black populations more at risk to severe COVID-19 infections. One factor that contributes to the unequal distribution of vaccines is the lack of vaccination sites in underserved communities, who have limited access to transportation and Internet. The privileged are more likely to benefit from mass vaccination centers due to higher access to transportation and greater flexibility in their work schedule to wait in the lines. From a historical standpoint, there has been an ongoing mistrust of the health care system in certain communities which has projected into vaccine hesitancy, especially in the hard hit populations.
On multiple levels, there need to be changes to address the inequities with the vaccination rollout. The Biden administration has recognized these issues by shipping vaccines to community centers, especially in underserved communities, rather than to the state, hoping to minimize the inequities in vaccine distribution. While this is a step in the right direction, there is much work ahead that needs to be done and done quickly with COVID cases rapidly increasing.
Looking in our own community, Augusta University Health system is partnering with local religious institutions to provide awareness and greater access to underprivileged populations. Recently, the Medical College of Georgia partnered with 100 Black Men of Augusta to specifically work with minority communities to address concerns and myths about the vaccine. This is a greater call to action for academic institutions and local communities to work together to bridge the vaccine inequities.
Although these racial disparities have come more into light with the recent pandemic, these issues have always been prevalent in our community. One of the biggest contributors is the inequity with access to health care insurance.
As medical students and members of Students for a National Health Program (SNaHP) at MCG, we seek to dismantle this infringement of basic human rights through our proposal of Medicare for All. Establishing a national health program will ensure equal access to health care for all populations and improve health outcomes. At the local level, we have proposed this resolution to benefit the Augusta community. If you would be interested in joining this initiative, please support us by signing our petition.
Arika Shaikh and Kalyani Ballur are first-year medical students at the Medical College of Georgia. They wrote this on behalf of the advocacy group Students for a National Health Program. Views are their own and do not reflect those of their institution.