COVID vaccination rates for young black Latinos in LA County are lagging

COVID-19 vaccination is the most delayed among young blacks and Latinos in Los Angeles County.

Vaccination rates for black residents up to age 49 in Los Angeles County remain below 50%, and immunization rates for Latin residents of the same age group remain below 60%, health officials said this week. ..

These rates are well below the rates for white, Asian-American, and Native American residents of all ages in LA County, as well as older black and Latino residents.

“These permanent gaps need to worry all of us, as unvaccinated people in each of these subgroups can still catch and infect the virus very easily,” LA County said. Barbara Feller, director of public health, said. “And even greater concern is the risk that they will become seriously ill or die as a result of the infection.

“The health of our population is also threatened by these gaps, which provide ample opportunity for high infection and lead to the emergence of additional mutants that may be resistant to the vaccine. Increasingly, additional surges are likely to occur in the absence of better vaccination coverage, “Feller added.

More people are essential to be vaccinated to end the pandemic, Feller said.

“Often, the difficulty of increasing vaccination in areas with low coverage is associated with distrust of the health system and government, which is supported by a long history of inadequate treatment.” Feller said. “Repair of damage caused by medical inequality does not occur overnight. [but] These inequality must not be exacerbated by neglecting to close the coverage gap. This exacerbates the existing imbalances found in cases, hospitalizations and deaths. ”

Unvaccinated black and Latin residents are significantly more likely to be infected with the coronavirus than white and Asian American residents, according to August county data. .. Unvaccinated black residents are more likely to be hospitalized than other racial or ethnic groups.

Unfortunately, the pace of vaccination is not enough to bring LA County dramatically closer to herd immunity. Persistent infection with the coronavirus is quickly and dramatically interrupted.

“It’s clear that vaccination progress is stagnant and we need to move in another direction to avoid future spikes,” Feller said. High-risk public settings such as bars and crowded settings.

In Orange County, Deputy Health Doctor Dr. Regina Chincio Kwon said there was more work to be done to vaccinate vulnerable communities. The number of cases and hospitalizations is starting to decline, she said: If you haven’t been vaccinated yet, you really want everyone to be vaccinated. ”

Unfortunately, the areas of Orange County with the lowest vaccination rates “haven’t changed much in the last two weeks,” said Chinsio-Kwong.

Delays in vaccination are seen not only in Latino residents but also in young adults in their thirties. “This age group is less vaccinated than other age groups,” said Chinsio-Kwong.

According to data released by Chinsio-Kwong, areas where immunization rates need to be particularly improved include Santa Ana and the University of California, Irvine, as well as the coastal areas of Huntington Beach, San Juan Capistrano, San Clemente, and Newport Beach. I have.

Already in Orange County, the average age of people hospitalized with COVID-19 is younger than the previous surge, Chinsio-Kwong said, and experts say young people probably have lower vaccination rates than older people. It is said that. The average age of unvaccinated persons admitted with COVID-19 was 66.5 years, much younger than the average age of vaccinated persons admitted with this disease of 84 years.

Isabel Besera, CEO of the Union of Orange County Community Health Centers, said in a recent press briefing that there is still a lot of false information about the Orange County vaccine.

According to Besera, one of the biggest myths is that vaccines affect childbirth or that vaccines alter a person’s DNA. Those ideas are wrong. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention encourages pregnant women to be vaccinated, and authorities warn of serious illnesses and complications that can occur if a pregnant person becomes infected with COVID-19.

Mary Anhu, Executive Secretary of the Orange County Asia-Pacific Islander Community Alliance, said her group is also trying to educate people about vaccines and shatter false information.

Some are worried that the shot hasn’t existed for a long time. Foo and her group point out that the research and research behind the COVID-19 vaccine has been developed for quite some time.

Nationally, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation survey on vaccination, 70% of white adults have already been vaccinated at least once, while 65% of black adults are 61% of Latin adults. Is receiving.A group Unlikely The shots were received by white evangelical Christians, young adults between the ages of 18 and 49, local residents, Republicans, and uninsured people under the age of 65.