Black Americans continue to bear the weight of COVID-19 disparities in vaccine distribution

Dr. Michelle Chester, right, injects nurse at Long Island Jewish Medical Center, Sandra Lindsay, with COVID-19 vaccine. (Source: CNN)

Vaccine distribution in the United States is quickly expanding, but disparities remain between the groups receiving their shots. Since the onset of the pandemic, Black Americans have been disproportionately affected by the coronavirus and are 1.1 times more likely to contract the virus and almost 2 times more likely to die from it, compared to white Americans.

A figure by KFF displays the racial and ethnic breakdown of vaccine recipients in 48 states. The data shows the discrepancies between a racial group’s population and the amount of vaccinated people in that group. While Black Americans are more likely to contract the disease, be hospitalized and die from it, white people still account for 1.6x more of the vaccinated population in America.

This pattern is evident statewide as data from the Maryland Department of Health shows white Marylanders accounting for 61% of those who are fully vaccinated while Black Marylanders account for 21%.

Dr. Mia Smith-Bynum is an associate professor of family science in the School of Public Health at the University of Maryland, College Park and a clinical psychologist. She says that some of this disparity may be a product of historical vaccine hesitancy in the Black community.

Smith-Bynum states that her knowledge of past experiences with vaccines in the Black community led to her brief initial hesitancy, but her science background outweighed any doubts.

“Being a Black scientist, you have a foot in both worlds. Knowing that a Black woman scientist helped create one of the vaccines made me feel excited, proud and comfortable with it,” said Smith-Bynum.

She states that when people close to her present skepticism they should rely on reputable sources and medical experts.

“Don’t rely on your cousins or on your best friends, because COVID really is very deadly. Talk to your doctor.” 

Aside from vaccine hesitancy, vaccine rollout disparities can also be attributed to a lack of access to vaccine sites or an inability to register for the vaccine.

“One of the problems with the system is that it's not about whether or not you know what to do to be healthy, which in this case is getting vaccinated, but whether there are structural factors that get in the way of you actually getting to the vaccine,” said Smith-Bynum.

“We need more mobile clinics that are branded by the state moving through predominantly Black neighborhoods at a regular schedule. There are people who want the vaccine who cannot get access very easily. It’s a more complicated narrative than ‘I’m scared to get the vaccine’.”

At UMD, vaccines are now being distributed to students through the university, giving them access to vaccinations on campus. 

Freshman bioengineering major Heleena Zenna is an out-of-state student who recently received her first shot of the Pfizer vaccine.

“Being out of state, I wanted to get vaccinated as soon as possible. I wanted to do it before I got home so I wouldn’t be putting my family at risk. Getting vaccinated at school was also very convenient because we have limited access to transportation,” Zenna stated.

Baasil Saleh, a freshman public policy major, shared that being Black did not influence his decision to get vaccinated. 

“I trust science and the UMD community. I’ve seen how accepted the vaccine is here and it makes me feel more confident about getting vaccinated,” Saleh said.

He shares that being vaccinated makes him feel hopeful about his next three years at Maryland.

“I think I’d feel safer, I’d be more comfortable going out knowing I’m not putting other people and their families at risk.”