Combating COVID vaccine misinformation in Black and Latino communities: OPINION

Latinos are twice as likely as white adults to contract the virus and 2.3 times more likely to die from it.

The highly contagious and deadly delta variant of the COVID-19 virus accounts for 90% of new COVID cases in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This variant continues to disproportionately affect infection and mortality rates in Black and Latino communities. Latinos are twice as likely as white adults to contract the virus and 2.3 times more likely to die from it, according to the CDC. While Black adults contract the virus at the same rate as white adults, they’re twice as likely to die from the disease, the CDC said. In an April ABC News/Washington Post poll, Black and Hispanic respondents all signaled a higher intent than white respondents to get vaccinated when looking strictly at the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Recent CDC data for vaccinations across Moderna, Pfizer, and J&J shows persisting inequities in vaccination rates. Fully vaccinated Black Americans were only at 9.1% in the U.S. in comparison to fully vaccinated Latinos at 15.9% and White Americans are at 59.4%. Despite the desired intent for vaccination, there are still barriers preventing increased vaccination rates. One of the main reasons for inequities in vaccination rates by race and ethnicity is the significant misinformation about vaccines and lack of health education.