Racial gap among COVID-19 vaccine recipients in L.A. County pose significant challenge

Irene Orioha receives her Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine at a public housing project pop-up site targeting vulnerable communities in Los Angeles, California on March 10, 2021. (FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)

by: Los Angeles Times

Posted: May 18, 2021 / 04:19 PM PDT

Updated: May 18, 2021 / 04:23 PM PDT

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Los Angeles County must ensure COVID-19 vaccinations are far more accessible to Black and Latino residents if the region wants to reach herd immunity and an end to the pandemic, officials said Tuesday.

Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer told the Board of Supervisors that there is a “very disturbing” trend in the disparities of who is getting vaccinated.

Only 37% of Black residents and 41% of Latino residents ages 12 and older have received one dose of a vaccine, compared to 57% of American Indian and Alaska Native residents, 60% of white residents and 67% of Asian residents.

“We need to close these gaps as quickly as possible,” Ferrer said.

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