Why African Americans Trust the COVID-19 Vaccine More Than Whites

The name Operation Warp Speed ​​— what the federal government calls an initiative that condenses the creation process, which usually spans years. Vaccine distribution Within a few months — it doesn’t instill confidence exactly. In fact, many of Dr. Leon McDougle’s patients, mostly black Americans, pointed out exactly that when they expressed their hesitation in receiving. COVID-19 vaccine..

“People are worried about what was developed at Warp Speed,” said McDougle, a family doctor at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus. “It may have been a viable political title. It is not such a title for the general public and vaccination.”

COVID-19 vaccine hesitation affects all races

Recent studies have tested McDougle’s views. In September, only 50% of Americans said they would be happy to get the COVID-19 vaccine. According to Gallup polls.. By October, this number had risen to 58%. These rates are also significantly lower among racial minorities. According to the same survey, 48% of non-white adults say they will be vaccinated compared to 61% of whites.

One of the most rigorous studies on this topic, especially for African Americans, found that only 14% “almost or completely trust” the COVID-19 vaccine to be safe. I did. According to COVID Collaborative, A national bipartisan organization focused on eradicating pandemics. We also found that less than one-fifth, or 18% of African Americans, “almost or completely trust” that the COVID-19 vaccine is effective.

When asked about the reasons for vaccine hesitation in the black community, McDougle immediately said that many whites were also hesitant. But for blacks, the influence of Tuskiggy research, Henrietta Lacks, Dr. James Marion Sims I still feel it.

History of racism in medical experiments

A 1932-1972 Tuskegee Syphilis study conducted at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama was a black man who suffered from syphilis (a bacterial infection usually spread by sexual contact) and did not provide all the necessary information. Notorious for refraining from treatment from participants. To provide informed consent According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.. The experiment, conducted by a division of the US federal government, was originally scheduled for six months, but lasted for 40 years.It is estimated 100 subjects died The late stage of tertiary syphilis, a disease that can damage the human brain, nerves, eyes, etc.

During the same time frame, Henrietta Lacks cancer cells were harvested without her knowledge in 1951 when she sought treatment. Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.. Her cells are an important research tool to this day. However, the contribution is dominated by the question of consent and the support of experiments with the blackbody and the benefits from the blackbody.Lux and her family Have been paid so farBut the medical community has made countless money from her cells.

Called the founder of gynecology, J. Marion Sims earned his title by experimenting with enslaved women without their consent or by anesthesia. What many still claim is a dark heritage. Example: 2018, Black women were 2.5 times more likely to die during childbirth Than a white woman.

Today’s challenge goes beyond healthcare

There is no need to look to the past because of medical distrust of the black community, stressed Dr. Alison Agu, an infectious disease specialist at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore.

“It’s rooted in the long-standing event that something the community really (concerns) is being given intentionally to adversely affect them,” she said today, later “the past is the present.” Yes, we do not pay attention and continue to be the future. “

During the ongoing coronavirus epidemic, black Americans with COVID-19 were 3.7 times more likely to require hospitalization and 2.8 times more likely to die than whites. According to CDC data.. In part, that’s because African Americans are also more likely to have an underlying illness and less likely to have access to health insurance and care, NBC News reported..

However, these statistics emphasize “the everyday reality of how people feel and how institutional systems, structures and races affect when interacting with the healthcare system.” not.

When discussing vaccines and treatments with patients, she believes that both the data and the reasons for medical distrust are true, never guessing why someone is hesitant.

“If they try to act as if they don’t exist, and they’re delusional, etc., it’s important for us to speak through them because you’re not starting from an honest place,” she said. .. “You have to be honest … then gain trust, uncover myths, and admit where things are wrong to move forward.”

Many black Americans are currently working on the following questions: “If you don’t care about me when I’m shot down on the street … why do you suddenly care so much about me? With this vaccine?”

Vaccine Deployment: What’s Next?

Dr. Lisa Cooper, a professor of public health at Johns Hopkins, said today that the COVID-19 epidemic in the United States 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa.. Originally from Liberia, Cooper recalled, “There was a lot of distrust from the government community and all these outsiders from other countries.”

According to Cooper, the final difference was to speak in a language that everyone could understand, such as the village chief, and work with local leaders who could guarantee clinical trials. treatment — If you gain trust.

“I think it’s very important who delivers the message and who introduces the person who delivers the message … to guarantee their credibility and credibility,” Cooper said. She added that people like pastors, teachers, family doctors, and advocates for nurses believe that they influence “more than anyone you might have seen on television.”

Martha Dawson, chairman of the National Black Nurses Association, said today that black healthcare professionals are planning vaccinations and believe they need to share their active follow-up. Recommended precautions Throughout the epidemic.

“I’m not saying’I’ll do this’, I haven’t done it yet,” Dawson explained. “I can say’I did it’… so they hear from someone who isn’t working there, but they’re also involved.”

Another strategy that Cooper and Agu agree on is important: a group of black medical professionals already Pfizer, modern And AstraZeneca To review their data, McDougle said. These ongoing meetings Black Union against COVID-19 And the National Medical Association, the largest group in Japan representing black doctors and their patients.

“In our role as a credible messenger, we want to be confident in any decisions made by the Food and Drug Administration regarding vaccines and treatments,” McDougle said. “So far, the information looks promising.”