25 US states want to “give priority” to non-whites for vaccines

Twenty-five of all 50 states have “committed to focusing on racial and ethnic communities” when deciding who should receive the coronavirus vaccine first.

“According to our analysis, 25 states have committed to focus on racial and ethnic communities because they have decided which groups should be given priority in receiving a dose of coronavirus vaccine,” Jon Levine wrote on Twitter.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has called on all U.S. states to look into possible critical and vulnerable groups to prioritize the new coronavirus vaccine, which began shipping in the United States on December 13 and has also named minority communities as candidates. good for early vaccine administration.

Twelve of the 25 states that specifically targeted communities of color to receive the vaccine on a priority basis went so far as to work with healthcare companies based in areas with large minority populations.

For example, Michigan said minority status and mother tongue could be factors in determining how quickly access to the vaccine can be made.

In New Mexico, authorities said they intend to focus on the state’s Native American population.

In North Carolina, officials “specifically cited historically marginalized populations as a critical population group in its infancy.”

And in Oregon, the health department said it will ensure that “black, indigenous, Latino / Latin / Latino, Pacific Islander and tribal communities have equitable access to vaccination.” Rachael Banks, head of the department, had already announced that the vaccines would be “especially focused on our communities of color that have seen a disproportionately unfair impact on COVID-19.”