ANALYSIS: Racial Gap in U.S. Vaccinations Is Shrinking, but Work Remains

The Racial Gap in U.S. Vaccinations Is Shrinking, but Work Remains Known vaccination rates for Hispanic, Black, Native and Asian populations all now outpace vaccination for white people per capita. But because they have lagged for months, states still have significant ground to make up. The New York Times

Black and Hispanic people across the United States have received a disproportionately smaller share of vaccinations to date, according to a New York Times analysis of state-reported race and ethnicity information. And vaccine disparities have grown in some of the most socially vulnerable parts of the nation, leaving many low-income communities of color with vaccination rates well below the national average.

However, state and federal data reveal that the country has made some progress toward vaccine parity.

Since March, nearly every state reporting the race and ethnicity of vaccinated people has seen the Black share of the total vaccinated population increase, inching closer to the Black share of the general population. ...

In Mississippi, for example, where Black people make up about 38 percent of the general population, the Black share of those vaccinated increased to 34 percent in early May, from 26 percent in early March.

“It’s a great example of what’s possible when you listen to communities and let them lead,” Dr. Cameron Webb, the White House senior policy adviser for Covid-19 equity, said of Mississippi’s growing rates of vaccination among people of color.

“Really it’s been attributed to the role of Black health care providers, faith leaders and community leaders,” Dr. Webb said. In recent weeks, members of these groups have organized vaccine clinics in primarily Black, Hispanic, Vietnamese and rural populations in the state, he said. They have also worked with the state to bring more vaccines to private doctors — a trusted source of information on the vaccine — who could answer questions and advocate for vaccinations.

State officials across the country say they believe that recent improvements in vaccine equity are due in part to the work of their community partners, who have been setting up clinics in parks and at workplaces, and knocking on doors to answer questions and register residents for appointments. ...