More people can get vaccinated against covid-19 but lags persist for Latinos and African Americans

Inés García does not have a computer, and even if she had, she says she would not have known how to register online to get vaccinated against the coronavirus.

So in January his stepdaughter and daughter-in-law registered him for vaccination in Dallas County.

Garcia says that after he was invited to schedule an appointment, his son brought him in the next day for his first dose of Moderna’s vaccine at The Potter’s House church in South Dallas.

They arrived around 7:30 am on March 4, and Garcia was given the injection almost three hours later.

Sitting in his son’s pickup in the church parking lot, Garcia waited for possible side effects.

He says he felt a wave of relief … and anxiety. He kept thinking about the people who told him they got a fever after getting the vaccine.

“Most were vaccinated and are fine,” said Garcia, 67, of Mesquite. “So I hope it goes well for me too.”

Three months into the vaccination campaign, Texas, like many states, is behind in inoculating people of color.

Starting Monday, all Texans age 16 and older will be able to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, making Texas the largest state to begin vaccinating anyone.

Currently only the Pfizer vaccine is licensed for use from 16 years of age. Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines can only be given from the age of 18.

But without a state plan to vaccinate vulnerable populations, regardless of age or underlying diseases, many fear the vaccination gap will grow even further.

And the consequences could be deadly, as people of color have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19.

Economic and racial disparities have marked all aspects of the pandemic, from the location of the early testing stations to the varying rates of infection and death.

Lags persist among the African American and Latino populations, who have been vaccinated to a lesser extent than whites, reveals a The Dallas Morning News analysis of vaccination statistics.

The process of receiving the vaccine continues to favor those who have a car and an internet connection; That’s why taking the campaign to underserved communities is crucial, says Rogelio Saenz, a demographer at the University of Texas at San Antonio who has studied the effects of the pandemic on communities of color.

Beyond technology and transportation barriers, Texans of color still face other obstacles.

Distrust of vaccines persists, for example because of their possible side effects, since they received federal approval for emergency use.

Garcia is one of nearly 6.9 million Texans – about 24% of the state’s population of 29 million – who have received at least the first dose of the vaccine, according to state data as of Saturday.

About the same percentage of the 2.6 million residents of Dallas County have also received at least the first of two doses.

With 2.4 million confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state, 47,000 Texans had died as of Saturday, of which nearly 3,500 in Dallas County, according to state information.

At 46%, Latinos are the largest ethnic group of Texans to have died from the virus, despite representing nearly 40% of the state’s population.

As of Thursday, only 23% of the vaccines had been given to those residents.

While in the truck with his father, Inés García Jr. acknowledged that he was still undecided about the vaccine.

The 48-year-old Garcia fell ill with covid-19 last fall and narrowly went to the hospital after suffering symptoms for nearly a week. He says he still feels some effects, like constant pain.

“I don’t want to experience that disease again,” he said. “If I get vaccinated, nothing will happen to me, but …”.

“He thinks he can get it again,” said his father, completing his son’s statement.

Dallas county and city officials have prioritized vaccinating in neighborhoods hardest hit by the virus.

The city government changed its main vaccination station downtown to The Potter’s House in the Mountain Creek sector in southwest Dallas.

UT Southwestern, another major vaccine supplier, is inoculating at the Southwest Center Mall in Red Bird.

The Dallas County Immunization Center is located in Fair Park in South Dallas.

All three sectors are populated primarily by low-income African Americans and Latinos, and are in zip lines that have some of the lowest vaccination rates in North Texas, according to The News analysis.

The News analyzed the most recent vaccination statistics from the Department of State Health Services.

The information indicates the number of people who have received at least one dose of the vaccine by zip code as of March 22.

Dallas ZIP Code 75225, which encompasses parts of Preston Hollow and University Park, has the highest immunization rates in the region. About 60% of its residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, it determined The News.

That area is predominantly white and has a median income of $ 161,296.

About a half-hour drive south, in the community of Red Bird, which is located in the 75237 zip code, only 11% of its inhabitants have received any doses.

The population of that sector is 80% African American and has an average family income of $ 28,000 a year.

“It’s a tremendous problem,” said Dr. Erin Carlson, associate clinical professor at the University of Texas College of Nursing and Health Innovation at Arlington.

Ultimately, public health is everyone’s problem. If some group, neighborhood or demographic segment of our community is not vaccinated, we do not have herd immunity ”.

Leslie Armijo, executive director of a health promoting organization called Don’t Wait to Vaccinate, says she has been going to churches, supermarket parking lots and other places to help people register for the vaccine.

Lately she and her colleagues have been concentrating their efforts on postal areas like 75212, where the infection rate has been high.

On a cold recent morning, she volunteered to register people and coordinate that work with organizations like Hunger Busters.

The Hunger Busters team was distributing food to people who lined up for information on how to register.

“Some say they are afraid and want to wait,” Armijo said. “They are a little scared of side effects.”

But they are a small percentage of the people he has spoken to.

Armijo would like to also be vaccinated at night to attend to those who work the night shift, and the registration could be carried out in large workplaces where there is a stable internet connection.

Enrique Facundo, 51, put his Ford pickup in line. He had already received his first dose because he has diabetes and was on the priority list.

But he knows others who are reluctant to get vaccinated, he said, shaking his head.

“It’s good that they give priority here with vaccines,” said Facundo.

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