Essay by Jamil Bey, Jerrel T. Gilliam and Walter Lewis
Navigating the COVID-19 vaccination scheduling site in Allegheny County is like taking an online final exam when none of the multiple-choice options is the right answer; a privileged few are wrecking the grading curve; and the entrance to the exam site is obscured for the poor, homeless, Black and Brown.
Pennsylvania has received more than 2.7 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines but has only delivered roughly 2 million — or 73.3%. This rate is 5.5% lower than the national average. Five percent may not sound like a lot. But in this case, it is more than just the difference between Pass and Fail.
An increase to the national average (78.8%) would mean that 146,000 more Pennsylvania residents would already have received their first dose. In Allegheny County, fewer than 52,000 residents have received the full vaccination schedule and another 153,000 have received the first of two recommended doses.
Looking through the lens of equity, the picture becomes clearer and more dire. In a state where 11.8% of the population is Black, only 3.6% of the vaccine recipients have been Black.
The most complex reasons for lower vaccine administrations among the county’s Black and Brown communities stem from mistrust of the healthcare system born from modern and historical betrayal prior to the pandemic. More recent barriers could resolve through shared planning with community organizations to establish strategies best for connecting to targeted communities.
Another factor that cannot be ignored starts with how the vaccine is sourced and flows to communities. There is still a national shortage of COVID-19 vaccine. Currently, information about the amount of vaccine coming to Allegheny County passes from the national level to the state department of health to the county department of health and finally to those who organize the vaccination events, leaving less than a week to plan. This short planning period and the high stakes for missing the target make it more likely that online portals will be opened publicly and communities with lower barriers will fill coveted vaccination slots.
Jamil Bey, Walter Lewis and Jerrel T. Gilliam advocate for equity in vaccine distribution. (Courtesy photos)
But the most easily fixed barrier accounting for lower access to vaccines among seniors and those with limited technology access largely found in Black and Brown communities is the complexity of the registration process.
Some ampoules with ncov-2019 vaccine in a box. to fight the coronavirus pandemic.
READ ENTIRE ARTICLE:
https://www.publicsource.org/three-community-leaders-who-led-pittsburgh-covid-vaccine-events-discuss-equity-solution/
About Post Author
