The richest people in America are finding ways to access the vaccine before those who qualify for it.
Why does it matter: The pandemic has already widened existing health inequities and underserved communities continue to remain vaccinated compared to the white and wealthy.
Incident: In January, Florida Baptist Health Systems helped vaccinate 1,200 residents of the affluent Ocean Reef community, but the doses came from storing vaccines for the general public, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
- Although Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) insists the state was “not involved,” a Baptist Health spokesman said Ocean Reef Medical Center asked Florida for doses, which the state later requested from Baptist. Health.
- Some of the beneficiaries were wealthy Republican donors who contributed to DeSantis ‘political action committee, Axios’ Ben Montgomery reported.
- Baptist Health was forced to cancel vaccination schedules for “hundreds of people” because of the shortage, according to the Times. DeSantis has since faced side effects.
But this is not the only case of rich people surrounding the line.
- In Philadelphia, the 22-year-old CEO of a COVID response company was caught taking doses at home for his friends.
- In another case, health care board members and major donors were invited to receive the vaccine for residents of West Palm Beach, Florida.
- The Los Angeles Times reported that wealthy Californians are getting vaccines for black and Latino communities.
- Wealthy clients in Los Angeles and New York have donated up to $ 25,000 to concierge doctors in exchange for the vaccine.
- “Suddenly, our clinic was full of white people,” the head of a nonprofit organization that runs a medical clinic told the New York Times in February. “We haven’t had that before. We serve people who are disproportionately African-American.”
The whole picture: An analysis of data on local vaccines in the 10 states with the largest wealth gaps found that a number of states vaccinated a significantly higher proportion of people in the richest counties, according to STAT.
- Connecticut has the largest “obvious disparity” in vaccination rates between the richest and poorest communities, with a difference of 65%.
- California, Florida, New Jersey and Mississippi have also vaccinated people in the richest 10% of counties at much higher rates.
- Cities continue to struggle with color communities with lower incomes.
Biden Administration has allocated $ 250 million in grants to community organizations in an effort to combat inequities in cities’ response to coronavirus.
- States such as Colorado and Minnesota are also trying to address gaps in vaccine distribution.
Go deeper: “Vaccine tourism” extends the supply of states