“Right from the start, 77088 was great with COVID-19,” said Susie Molina, whose parents live in the Acres Homes zip code.
For almost 52 years, Lydia Rodriguez and her husband have been inseparable. Then COVID-19 hit.
Lydia contracted the virus and died.
“We just have to be grateful that my father is OK,” Susie said. “I heard so many stories that both members of the family died.”
The data shows that stories like Susie’s are too common.
The statistics on the number of postal vaccination rates from the Houston Department of Health are staggering.
In the map above, the orange areas, which mostly comprise postal codes in the north, northeast and southeast of Houston, show a penetration of only 1-4% of vaccination rates.
Meanwhile, the black-colored, arrow-shaped areas that stretch from the city center to the Memorial have much higher vaccination rates.
The area next to the Medical Center has a vaccination rate of 35%, while Bellaire and West University Place are around 20%.
“I wish I could say I was surprised, but there’s so much clear evidence that there are health differences between zip codes,” said pediatrician Dr. Joyee Vachani, who happens to live in Bellaire. “It’s such an access to health care issues, just depending on where you are.”
In Bellaire, about 21% of residents are vaccinated. This area benefits not only from welfare, but also from the large number of health workers living in the community who had early access to the vaccine.
County Judge Lina Hidalgo says the data shows that the first vaccinators were disproportionately white and Asian. She says some of this is due to first-time vaccination of medical staff, but also says disparities are an ongoing concern.
“A percentage of the county’s vaccines go to community health centers that only served low-income residents. Some go to Harris health clinics, which also serve low-income neighborhoods,” Hidalgo said. “We’re working to build more sites across the county, so it’s easier for people to go to the sites.”
However, until the number of vaccines increases dramatically, their introduction into those communities will continue to be a challenge.
Track the availability and progress of the COVID-19 vaccine in Houston
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