Lack of Access, Misinformation Drive Lower Vaccination Numbers in Communities of Color

By Consumers For Quality Care, on May 5, 2021

A survey reveals that similar percentages of Black and white Americans plan to get the COVID-19 vaccine, however racial disparities due to lack of access and misinformation are keeping Black populations from being vaccinated in equal numbers.

NPR’s Morning Edition recently spoke with Dr. Rhea Boyd, a pediatrician and public health advocate in the Bay Area.

“We know that in this country, 1 out of 5 Black adults are unlikely to have a regular provider. They don’t have somebody that they go to who they trust for their clinical care. We also know Black folks have some of the highest rates of uninsured and underinsurance,” Boyd said.

According to Boyd, the perception that people of color are hesitant to receive vaccines is inaccurate and unfair. Focusing on systemic change rather than on individual choices will help solve the problem.

“I think in health care we have had an analysis of what drives racial health inequities that centers on individuals rather than on our systems,“ Boyd said. “And that has led us not to really confront racism as a cause of racial health inequities, including right now during the vaccine distribution.”