COVID-19 vaccine inequities persist in L.A. County despite progress in underserved areas

Joel Jurez holds his dog, Yuki, as medical assistant Adrian Davis administers a COVID-19 vaccine at a clinic at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church on Friday in Los Angeles.(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

by: Los Angeles Times

Posted: Apr 15, 2021 / 07:22 AM PDT

Updated: Apr 15, 2021 / 07:22 AM PDT

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Los Angeles County has made significant strides in administering COVID-19 vaccines in communities of color hardest hit by the pandemic, but those areas continue to lag far behind both wealthier neighborhoods and the county as a whole, according to a Times data analysis.

Some neighborhoods in South Los Angeles — where the spread of the coronavirus was particularly devastating — saw the biggest increase in how many of their residents had received at least one vaccine dose between March 1 and Monday, the data show. Other areas that saw major improvement include Thai Town in Hollywood, Lennox and Cudahy.

However, despite the gains, these areas are still seeing vaccine rates below the county average.

In each of the 10 communities that has experienced the largest relative gains over the last six weeks, the share of the population age 16 and older that has received at least one vaccine dose remains under 30%. By comparison, 37.1% of L.A. County residents 16 and older had received at least one vaccine dose as of April 4, according to public health data.

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