New research done on Covid deaths during the pandemic has highlighted important aspects regarding changes in racial and ethnic disparities. The research was done across California, and it tracked the mortality rate before the vaccines were available and during the entire course of the vaccination program.
Racial And Ethnic Disparities In Covid Deaths Due To Vaccination Program
During the early stages of the pandemic, it was clearly evident that the black and Latino community were more affected than others. The mortality rate was very high among the Latino community and high among the black community.
This was attributed to social and economic disparities reflected in the mortality rate during the pandemic. The people from lower-income communities had less access to diagnosis and treatment during any illness. They also had to work in an environment that provided less provision for social distancing.
However, in the early part of 2021, vaccines were readily available for all, and the overall mortality rate decreased to a large extent. The research focuses on the effect of vaccination programs in California.
Interestingly, the death rate among certain communities declined to a large extent which can be attributed to the success of the program. On the other hand, the death rate in certain communities increased, and experts have no clear explanation for this development.
The mortality rate among middle-aged people from all communities was analyzed as part of the study. It was found that the death rate among Latino people dropped by a huge margin.
The death rate among the Latino community declined from 66% to 30%. However, the death rate among the black community increased to 21% from the earlier 6%. Similarly, the mortality rate among the white community also increased to 36% from the earlier level of 17%.
Interestingly, the Asian community remained unaffected by the vaccination program as the mortality rate among them more or less remained the same throughout the pandemic.
Experts believe that natural immunity due to infection and vaccination programs has contributed to the significant decline in the death rate among the Latino community.
The local authorities also worked hard to ensure that the vaccination program reached every community across the state. Apart from that, testing facilities were improved, and all these efforts put together resulted in a lower mortality rate among the Latino community.
However, when it comes to analyzing the increase in the death rate among the white community, experts say that this has got to do with vaccine hesitancy and lack of covid norms among the community members.
Many people from the white community openly opposed the vaccination program, and they were also found violating social distancing norms due to political and other reasons.
All these factors have influenced the increase in the death rate among the community. Not only that, but the number of infections among the community also increased by a huge margin due to such behavior.
The Asian community saw a good percentage of vaccination, which has reflected in the lower mortality rate among the community. By the mid of 2021, nearly 50% of the Asian community in California were vaccinated, which offered them some protection from extreme outcomes.
Experts are, however, worried about the increase in mortality rate among the black community even after the rollout of the vaccination program. Many people wonder what else could have been done to avoid such disparity soon.
When it comes to making policy changes, it can only influence the work atmosphere, and it cannot change the situation entirely on its own.
Experts feel that further analysis is needed to understand the dynamics of social and economic disparities among different communities so that public health is not compromised in the future.
