U.S. Vaccine Data Reveal Big Racial Gaps in Who’s Getting Covid Shots

The U.S. government promised a fair rollout of the vaccine, but distribution so far isn’t equitable.

Our initial findings suggest vaccines are reaching White and Asian populations faster than Black and Hispanic people, though getting a complete picture of nationwide disparities remains a challenge.

Some of the disparities are a result of who has approval to get shots so far. The elderly are more likely to be White, while the Hispanic population skews young and is less likely to work in hospitals and nursing care, groups targeted in the earliest phases of vaccine distribution.

Other disparities are a result of lower uptake rates among certain groups. Some health-care settings have reported that it’s taking longer to build up trust with communities of color, particularly Black people, who are wary of a medical establishment that for centuries has ignored and mistreated them. Anti-vaxx misinformation campaigns are targeting the already hesitant, including women and Black people. In addition, those with fewer resources may not be able to navigate the notoriously buggy and overloaded online sign-up systems. Meanwhile, others with connections, time, and money can snap up open slots.

As vaccines become available to the broader population, the equity of the campaign will become clearer, and Bloomberg’s tracker is designed to monitor the progress as it evolves. So far, among states with solid data quality, Vermont, Oregon and Washington are doing particularly well at administering doses equitably.

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