The site at the Armory Track & Field Center in Washington Heights was launched Jan. 14 by NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. Vaccine appointments were initially offered to people 65 and older living in New York State.
Lawmakers representing Washington Heights and a doctor who manned the site last week said the first wave of vaccinations went to many white New Yorkers over 65 who traveled to the Armory from other parts of the city and state.
“The more I learn about this, the angrier I get,” de Blasio said during a virtual press conference. Somehow, instead of focusing on the Latino community of Washington Heights, a place really hit hard by Covid, the approach has somehow benefited those outside the community who came to vaccinate, but not for people living there in Washington Heights. All backwards. ”
“New Yorkers of color” would take pictures
The issue at the Washington Heights location is a blatant example of the inequality in access to vaccines across the country.
NewYork-Presbyterian said in an email to CNN Friday that in the past two days, more than 80% of people vaccinated were residents of those communities.
“An ongoing engagement initiative aims to reach eligible residents of North Manhattan and get them to register for appointments,” the hospital said in its statement Wednesday. “This process is being carried out in collaboration with more than 40 community-based and faith-based organizations and other partners, and aims to provide access, overcome hesitations and address persistent inequalities.”
More than 25,000 people have been vaccinated at the site since its opening, according to the hospital. NewYork-Presbyterian did not have a racial breakdown of the vaccine recipients.
‘It’s like’ The Hunger Games ”
Mark Levine, New York City Councilor, told CNN that the initial sign-up process for the Armory site required several steps for registration and fitness check and was not suitable for Washington Heights residents who do not speak English and are not tech-savvy.
In Washington Heights / Inwood, 37% of residents have “limited English language skills,” according to the 2018 NYC Health report.
“It’s like ‘The Hunger Games’,” said Levine. “People who don’t have a computer, don’t have a good Internet, aren’t familiar with technology, maybe have limited English language skills, won’t get through. And that’s reflected in who appears on these sites.”
Dr. Susana Bejar of Columbia University’s Irving Medical Center said she witnessed the inequality in Washington Heights firsthand when she volunteered to the Armory on Jan. 23 as a verifier of appointments.
Bejar said of the 2,400 people who received the vaccine that day, most were not from the local community. “Simply put, I’ve never seen so many white people in Washington Heights,” Bejar tweeted on Sunday.
Bejar said the site should prioritize Washington Heights residents by allowing same-day and walk-in appointments, reserving vaccines for those who live in the community, providing assistance to people who struggle to log into the smartphone- app and ensuring that residents have time to schedule their appointments.
“It’s hard to achieve both speed and fairness,” Bejar told CNN. “When the vaccines are distributed primarily through a smartphone application in English to whoever innovates the application first, long-term structural inequalities will replicate themselves unless the medical community makes a conscious and consistent effort to address them.”
The need for community partnerships
Differences in who gets the Covid-19 vaccine is a nationwide problem.
A CNN analysis of 14 states found that vaccination coverage is on average twice as high among white people than it is among black and Latino people.
The analysis found that, on average, more than 4% of the white population has received a Covid-19 vaccine, about 2.3 times higher than the black population (1.9% covered) and 2.6 times higher than the Hispanic population (1.8% covered).
De Blasio said vaccine providers should work with community groups, local health care providers, clergy, and trusted community leaders to ensure that people of color have fair access.
“We are nowhere near the supply we need,” De Blasio said during Friday’s press conference.
Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) said his office received several complaints about the local community being excluded from vaccinations at the Armory. Espaillat said he believes it was a mistake and partnerships with local churches and senior centers will be crucial to Washington Heights vaccination efforts.
“From day one, I’ve been worried about the proliferation of vaccines, which prevents rich people from coming in and pushing our people out so they can jump the line and be the first to get the chance,” said Espaillat. “I think it has now been resolved, but we will be monitoring it in the coming days.”
Community groups in Washington Heights say they should be involved in all distribution efforts if healthcare leaders are to reach people of color.
Jon-Paul Dyson, program director of Community League of the Heights, or CLOTH, said many residents don’t have Wi-Fi or email access, so they rely on word of mouth, literature in the post, or their social service providers to provide information. to get .
Dyson said he is working with the health care system to help vaccinate residents.
“Education is the biggest piece missing at the moment,” Dyson said Thursday. “The locations of where to go, the transportation for our seniors to get there, all of the above.”
Priya Krishnakumar and CNN’s Deidre McPhillips contributed.