Blacks not getting their fair share of vaccines

The governor’s office on Friday released numbers on three different groups eligible for COVID-19 vaccination — hospital workers, essential workers, and people 65 and older — which showed, in each group, Blacks were under-represented.

‘The most concerning issue at this point is that there continues to be a reluctance in much of the Black community to take the vaccine. We expected it. We talked about it early on. We are addressing it, but it still exists,” Cuomo said in a statement, releasing the numbers.

For hospital workers:

— 63 percent of vaccine recipients were white while 70 percent of the eligible population is white;

— 10 percent were African Americans while 17 percent of the population is African American;

— 10 percent were Hispanic or Latino, which make up 9 percent of eligible population; and

— 16 percent were Asian while Asians were 12 percent of the eligible population.

For essential workers:

— 74 percent of vaccine recipients were while while 75 percent of the eligible population was white;

— 5 percent were African Americans while 17 percent of the eligible population was African American;

— 10 percent were Hispanic or Latino while they made up 14 percent of the eligible population; and

— 7 percent were Asian while Asians made up 6 percent of the eligible population.

For resident who are 65 or older:

— 78 percent were white while whites were 77 percent of the eligible population;

— 4 percent were African American while they made up 13 percent of the eligible population;

— 5 percent were Hispanic or Latino while they made up 12 percent of the eligible population; and

— 8 percent were Asian while they made up 7 percent of the eligible population.

“Yes, there are bonafide reasons for distrust in the system, but it’s not true with this vaccine,” Cuomo said. “The hesitancy must be directly addressed with facts and validation. From partnering with community leaders to help dispel rumors and myths, to establishing vaccination sites directly in underserved communities, like we did with Yankee Stadium ….”

A mass vaccination site opened in Yankee Stadium on Friday, which is solely for residents of the Bronx.

More Regional News

  • The state is encouraging residents in affected counties, particularly those dependent on private groundwater wells, to conserve water whenever possible during the coming weeks.

  • The student body at SUNY schools is becoming more diverse. For the first time, enrollment of white students in the SUNY system came in below the 50-percent mark, and is at 49.1 percent this year, down from 59.6 percent a decade ago.

  • Farmers can apply for funds to invest in infrastructure, equipment, and the adoption of “state-of-the-art practices,” the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets says.

The Altamont Enterprise is focused on hyper-local, high-quality journalism. We produce free election guides, curate readers' opinion pieces, and engage with important local issues. Subscriptions open full access to our work and make it possible.