Representative. Grace Meng
Grace Meng Remember Asian American voters Democrats see increase in turnout among Asian American and Pacific voters Five House Democrats who could join Biden’s cabinet MORE (DN.Y.) on Sunday he called Xavier Becerra
Goodwin Liu’s experience and expertise make him an ideal choice for California Attorney General Braun: Biden should reconsider HHS divisive candidate Xavier Becerra Biden’s cabinet gradually confirmed by Senate MORENominated by President Biden for Secretary of Health and Human Services to collect and provide data that breaks down demographic data on vaccine administration to address health inequities among vulnerable populations.
“Racial inequities in health, justice, housing, employment and education have been abundant and buried deep in the social fabric of our nation,” Meng said in a statement. Blacks, Asians, Hispanics, Native Americans, other minority groups, the LGBTQI community, and Americans with disabilities strived for true equality before the national health pandemic struck.
Meng is currently seeking to get other lawmakers to sign a letter to Becerra, which he plans to send on Monday.
“A national demographic breakdown of COVID-19 vaccines is imperative for Congress to assess and address the gaps in the launch of COVID-19 vaccination,” Meng wrote. This information will also be critical in addressing long-term health disparities and racial inequalities among vulnerable populations.
“Everyone needs to be vaccinated, and communities of color must have equal access,” Meng said.
In his letter, Meng wondered what vaccine administration data had been received from states and territories so far, whether or not the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had collected demographic data on vaccines, and what the government agency planned to do. to address “social vulnerability” in vaccine distribution.
Because black communities, especially black and Hispanic communities, were disproportionately affected by the pandemic, the data suggested that they received comparatively lower vaccine rates compared to whiter, richer populations.
Blacks and Hispanic Americans are more likely to work in jobs that expose them to the virus and are more likely to suffer from a more severe case of the virus because of the underlying health conditions.
In addition to the lack of access, the hesitation of the vaccine could have also contributed to lowering the immunization rate in these communities. A recent study by Pew Research found that 42% of black Americans said they would receive the vaccine, compared to more than 60% of white and Hispanic adults.
Nominated by Biden for Surgeon General, Vivek Murthy
Vivek MurthyBill and Melinda Gates warn that pandemic could unleash “immunity inequality”, Biden will appoint nurse as general surgeon: report shows Sunday, addressed the apparent inequity in an interview last week and appeared to share Meng’s demand for demographic data collection.
“We already know from the COVID crisis of the last year that there are certain communities that have been severely affected by this virus, that rural communities have had more difficult access to resources, that communities of color have experienced more cases and deaths, that older people “They fought, especially in the long-term facilities,” Murthy said.
“We need to make sure we have data on where the vaccine is given so that we can actually distribute it fairly,” Murthy added.