More than 1 million doses of COVID-19 have been administered in Los Angeles County to date, but statistics released at mid-week revealed a “shockingly’’ low percentage of doses being given to Black residents, with roughly half of the doses so far going to White and Latino people.
According to the county Department of Public Health, the county has received more than 1.28 million doses of the vaccine as of Feb. 4, and more than 1.05 million doses—about 82 percent—have been administered.
But breaking down those doses by ethnic groups showed a major disparity, with 25 percent of people receiving at least one dose listed as White, 25 percent as Hispanic, and just 3.5 percent as Black. Asians represented 18 percent.
“Shockingly, Black residents have received only 3.5 percent of all administered doses, highlighting a glaring inadequacy in the vaccine rollout to date,’’ Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said.
Ferrer noted that since the early priority list for the vaccine includes health care workers, some of those workers receiving the vaccine may not actually be county residents. But when looking solely at residents aged 65 and over who are eligible to receive the shots, “Black residents have the lowest vaccination rate of all racial and ethnic groups at 7.2 percent, and this is less than half the rate of White residents and a third the rate of Pacific Islanders.’’
“In the Latinx community, which has experienced the highest case, hospitalization and death rates, only 14 percent of Latinx residents (aged 65 or older) have been vaccinated to date,’’ she said.
Ferrer said health officials are “alarmed’’ by the disproportionate numbers, and closing those gaps “is a top priority’’ for the health agency.
“We’re going to continue to work with our community partners to ensure that we’re not only getting everyone vaccinated quickly, but we’re addressing the need to provide easier access to neighborhood sites and better access to accurate information about the vaccines,’’ she said.
County Supervisor Hilda Solis said she was distressed by the numbers, which she said show “we still have a lot more work to do.’’
“This is completely unacceptable, and we will be sharing some of those changes in our vaccine rollout in the coming days to ensure that it is truly equitable,’’ Solis said. “Frankly I’m disappointed, and I’m calling on all of us—our departments and our medical providers—to fulfill their responsibility to ensure that the vaccine gets to those who need it the most.’’
The disparate numbers come amid a continuing overall shortage of vaccine supply. The limited availability of doses will restrict the county’s five large-scale vaccination sites for the rest of this week to administer only second doses to people who have already had the first shot. That means people still looking for their first inoculation will find it difficult to find an appointment, although some will be available at select other vaccine locations.
