Study shows some minority communities hesitant to trust a COVID-19 vaccine
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Health officials worry that vaccine hesitancy could result in some Black and Latino Americans not being vaccinated against the coronavirus, despite those populations representing nearly 40% of COVID -19 cases, according to the CDC.
New data released by the COVID Collaborative, the NAACP and UnidosUS shows that 14% of Black Americans have trust in the vaccine and 18% believe it will be effective.
Those numbers are slightly higher for Latino Americans with 34% saying they have trust and 40% believing the vaccine will be effective.
The data is important because the study also says safety and effectiveness are two factors most likely to affect who takes the vaccine.
The person giving vaccine information to these communities is critical. The study also found some of this hesitancy comes from not trusting the federal government because of the country’s history of racism in medical research.
The study shows both the Black and Latino communities have greater trust in Dr. Fauci than they do the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), drug companies or the Trump administration.
And they are twice as likely to trust vaccine information when it comes from a person of their own race and also more likely to trust their own doctors.
Because resistance is lower among Latino Americans, the study suggests Latino officials and leaders should actively promote the vaccine in their communities, while Black leaders should work to increase transparency and trust towards the vaccine.
The FDA will consider Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine on Dec. 10 and Moderna’s on Dec. 17.