>> IT NOW APPEARS THEOUNT CRY WILL FALL SHORT OF THE PRIDESENT’S GOAL OF HAVING 70% OF THE POPULATION VACCINATED WITH AT LEAST ONE DOSE OF THE CODE VACCINE BY THE FOURTH OF JULY. THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION CONCEDED IT WILL MYSTICAL EARLIER THIS WEEK. A BIG PROBLEM, ECONOMIC GAPS AND CIRAAL GAPS. >> THERE ARE STILL STARK DISPARITIES, RACIAL DISPARITIES. WE ARE SEEING LAGGING RATES, ESPECIALLY IN COMMUNITIEOFS COLOR, AFRICAN AMERICAN AND HISPANIC IN PARTICULAR. >> IN MARYLAND, THE RACIAL GAP IN VACCINATIONS HAS BEEN VERY SLOW TO NARROW. CURRENTLY, OF THE 3.3 MILLION PEOPLE IN MARYLAND FULLY VACCINATED, 22.4% ARE BLACK. THAT’S JUST ONE PER CENT HIGHER THAN THE RATE OF 21.49% A LLFU MOH O.NT BLACK PEOPLE MAKE UP 31.1%F O THE STATE’S POPULATION. LACK OF ACCESS IS THE INMA BARRIER TO BETTER VACCINATION RATES, EXPERTS AT JOHNS HOPKINS SAID TODAY, NOT HESITANCY. >> WE HAVE SEEN THAT ATTITUDES AMONG AFRICAN AMERICANS HAVE SHIFTED TO BE QUITE POSIVETI TOWARD VACCINES SINCE LAST FL.AL SO WE KNOW THE ACCEPTANCE RATE FOR VACCINATION IS AS HIGH ANGMO AFRICAN AMERICANS AS IT IS AMONG WHIT.ES SO THAT SUGGESTS ACCESS IS PLAYING A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN THE LOWER VACCINATION RA.TE >> BALTIMORE CITY HAS TURNED TO POP UP SITES, CHURCHES AND MOBILE OPERATIONS TO BETTER REACH BLACK COMMUNITS.IE EXPERTS ARE CONCERNED COMMUNITIES WITH LOWER VACCINATION TERAS ARE ESPECIALLY SUSCEPTIBLE TO OUTEABRKS, ESPECIALLY WITH THE INCREANGSI PREVALENCE OF THE NEW DELTA CORONAVIRUS VARIAN >> EVEN AN INCREASE OF 1 TO 2 PER CENT OF VACCINE COVERAGE COULRED ALLY LIMIT OUTBREAK. CLICKS EXPERTS -- >> EXPERTSAY S INCENTIVES HAVE PROVEN USEFUL IN ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO GET VACCINATED. MARYLAND HAS USED ITS LOTTERY, WITH DAILY 40,000 DOLLAR WINNERS AS AN INCEIVNTE. TO DATE, THERE HAS BEEN JUST ONE WINNER FROM BALTIMORE CI
Experts: Lack of access, not vaccine hesitancy, is main barrier to better COVID-19 vaccination rates
Economic, racial gaps persist when it comes to COVID-19 vaccine
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Updated: 5:37 PM EDT Jun 24, 2021
A racial gap in COVID-19 vaccinations has yet to close in Maryland, prompting an urgent call from some public health experts. || COVID-19 updates | Maryland's latest numbers | Get tested | Vaccine Info ||While new cases of COVID-19 have plunged, concern remains about lower vaccination rates in some communities.It now appears the country will fall short of the president's goal of having 70% of the population vaccinated with at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by the Fourth of July. Earlier this week, the Biden administration conceded it will miss the goal.A big problem is economic and racial gaps when it comes to the vaccine."There are still stark disparities, racial disparities. We are seeing lagging rates, especially in communities of color, African American and Hispanic, in particular," said Dr. Rupali Limaye, with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.In Maryland, the racial gap in vaccinations has been very slow to narrow. Currently, of the 3.3 million people in Maryland who are fully vaccinated, 22.4% are Black, which is 1% higher than the rate was a full month ago at 21.49%. Black people make up 31.1% of the state's population.Lack of access is the main barrier to better vaccination rates, Johns Hopkins experts said Thursday -- not vaccine hesitancy."We have seen that attitudes among African Americans have shifted to be quite positive toward vaccines since last fall. So we know the acceptance rate for vaccination is as high among African Americans as it is among whites. So that suggests access is playing a pretty significant role in the lower vaccination rate," said Dr. Lisa Cooper, one of the founders of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Equity.Baltimore City has turned to pop-up sites, churches and mobile operations to better reach Black communities.Experts said they are concerned that communities with lower vaccination rates are especially susceptible to outbreaks, especially with the increasing prevalence of the new delta variant."Even an increase of 1% to 2% of vaccine coverage could really limit outbreak," Limaye said.Experts said incentives have proven useful in encouraging people to get vaccinated. Maryland has used its lottery with daily $40,000 winners as an incentive. To date, there has been just one winner from Baltimore City.
BALTIMORE — A racial gap in COVID-19 vaccinations has yet to close in Maryland, prompting an urgent call from some public health experts.
|| COVID-19 updates | Maryland's latest numbers | Get tested | Vaccine Info ||
While new cases of COVID-19 have plunged, concern remains about lower vaccination rates in some communities.
It now appears the country will fall short of the president's goal of having 70% of the population vaccinated with at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by the Fourth of July. Earlier this week, the Biden administration conceded it will miss the goal.
A big problem is economic and racial gaps when it comes to the vaccine.
"There are still stark disparities, racial disparities. We are seeing lagging rates, especially in communities of color, African American and Hispanic, in particular," said Dr. Rupali Limaye, with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
In Maryland, the racial gap in vaccinations has been very slow to narrow. Currently, of the 3.3 million people in Maryland who are fully vaccinated, 22.4% are Black, which is 1% higher than the rate was a full month ago at 21.49%. Black people make up 31.1% of the state's population.
Lack of access is the main barrier to better vaccination rates, Johns Hopkins experts said Thursday -- not vaccine hesitancy.
"We have seen that attitudes among African Americans have shifted to be quite positive toward vaccines since last fall. So we know the acceptance rate for vaccination is as high among African Americans as it is among whites. So that suggests access is playing a pretty significant role in the lower vaccination rate," said Dr. Lisa Cooper, one of the founders of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Equity.
Baltimore City has turned to pop-up sites, churches and mobile operations to better reach Black communities.
Experts said they are concerned that communities with lower vaccination rates are especially susceptible to outbreaks, especially with the increasing prevalence of the new delta variant.
"Even an increase of 1% to 2% of vaccine coverage could really limit outbreak," Limaye said.
Experts said incentives have proven useful in encouraging people to get vaccinated. Maryland has used its lottery with daily $40,000 winners as an incentive. To date, there has been just one winner from Baltimore City.
