Latino vaccination rates in San Diego are higher than most other ethnic groups

About six months ago, San Diego health and community supporters warned about the surge in coronavirus infection rates, primarily in Latino regions, especially in South County.

Hoping to stop the spread of COVID-19, officials and community groups visited neighborhood representatives door-to-door to wear masks, test, and finally educate residents about vaccines.

Now there are signs that their efforts are working. Immunization rates are overestimated by Latin Americans in San Diego County among those who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 compared to most racial or ethnic groups. is showing.

According to county statistics, about 68% of Latin Americans in the target age group were fully vaccinated as of last week, compared to about 66% of Asians, 59% of white residents, and black Sandy. It was 42% of Egans.

This is a reversal from the beginning of the year when the COVID-19 shot was first deployed. Last March, Latin Americans made up almost half of the county’s population infected with the new coronavirus, Barely 1 in 5 People who were vaccinated at that time.

Today, county figures show that Latino Americans are twice as prevalent as Black Sandigans and about three times as high as whites and Asians.

Experts say that many Latino Americans are at high risk because they do important work that does not allow remote work. Lack of access to health care and housing, which forces many families to live together, also increases the risk of exposure.

High Latino county-wide vaccination averages obscure the reality of the region. Latin American immunization rates exceed 87% in South County, but lag behind in North County and some East County.

Defenders say the South County turnaround is the result of months of intensive efforts to educate families about vaccines, address their concerns, and make the vaccination process easier. rice field.

The non-profit organization Latino Health Coalition used culturally relevant messages on radio and television to talk about the virus, often in Spanish, and featured trusted community leaders in social media videos.

We also distributed face masks, hand sanitizers, and thermometers in South County, Vario Logan, and City Heights. There, many residents were doing important work that they couldn’t do at home.

The Union also advocated the establishment of test sites in those areas and, in collaboration with the county, booked vaccination appointments for people living in the zip code most hit by COVID-19.

Health officials have also directed their outreach to areas where COVID-19 infections are on the rise, said Barbara Jimenez, head of community operations for the County Health and Welfare Department.

“The data was driving where those (vaccine) efforts were,” Jimenez said. “Looking at the data, we can prioritize communities with high positive rates.”

Sandra Mendoza (m) and Elizabeth Castro (l) paint a local park on canvas and provide information and handbags with everything from spare batteries to hand sanitizers. Two women from the Chicano Federation provided vaccination information or booking assistance.

(Nervin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union Tribune)

Last Wednesday, two volunteers from the Latino Health Coalition walked the Spring Valley for almost two hours, knocked on the door, and talked to street people about available resources and vaccines.

Sandra Mendoza, a special project manager for the Chicano Federation, said this type of outreach was successful because residents were able to connect with messengers and were conversational and informative rather than judgmental or authoritative. Said.

She said no one was forcing them to do things they might not yet understand.

Promotra, usually a trusted non-healthcare professional, uses a variety of intrusions to discuss vaccinations and COVID-19 in the neighborhood.

Miriam Rodriguez, Promotion Director of City Heights Community Development Corporation, said team members have set up tables at Swap Meet, Community Centers and food distribution sites. They hand out masks, gloves, hand sanitizers and talk about COVID shots.

“It was easy for families to come in and answer questions and get support for appointments because of the pop-ups and resources available,” Rodriguez says.

Initially, the slow acceptance of COVID-19 shots was due to people’s safety concerns and logistical obstacles such as scheduling online bookings. Healthcare workers had to work on both.

“Myths have to do with the effectiveness of vaccines, such as whether they have side effects, concerns about the vaccine being too new, concerns about being in a hurry, and the myth that it was made from dangerous chemicals and toxins. We did, “said Jimenez. “These were what we were able to cover in the promotra and the media.”

According to Rodriguez, Promotras has arranged a zoom conference, a virtual “Cafe Citos,” to allow residents to ask questions and hear from community members who recently received COVID-19 shots.

Beyond the hesitation of vaccines, there were practical hurdles. Early in the deployment of COVID-19 shots, there was a vaccine “super station” with a complex online sign-up system, often waiting in line for hours.

Eventually, health authorities set up small clinics in community centers, high schools, parks and markets. They opened a walk-in center that removed overtime shots and removed schedule barriers for those who couldn’t do it during working hours.

“At first we had to make a reservation, but it was really rewarding, otherwise the system wouldn’t work,” Rodriguez says. “Once I got the walk-in, it really helped.”

She said Promotra provided vehicles to families and young children who worked with her while her parents were vaccinated.

Immunization rates in San Diego County are unclear in certain population segments, such as those labeled “Other / Multiple Races” and those labeled “Native Hawaiians / Pacific Islanders.” Estimates for those categories. Population is an estimate based on census data.

But overall, San Diego County is above state and national averages for vaccination. 71% of San Diegans over the age of 12 are fully vaccinated, 70 percent With California 65 percent Whole country.

Congressman Akilah Weber, D-La Mesa, said the progress came from partnering with community organizations and trusted messengers.

Still, some demographic groups and geographic areas lag behind. Throughout the county, less than 50% of Black San Diegans are fully vaccinated.

Historical cases of black men with syphilis being deliberately left untreated, blacks being medically sterilized, otherwise discriminated against, ignored, or abused, according to experts. It has something to do with the distrust caused by.

“There is a lot of resistance, especially in the black community, because of what was done and the experiments that were done on people in our community,” said doctor Weber. Overcome it. “

In addition, she said, there are few black doctors in San Diego County, and not many community health advocates comparable to Promotra.

The black church, often the center of community organization, did not have their typical attendance during the pandemic, she said.

Margaret Buckner (right) will receive the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine from Covid-19 vaccinated Christian Flores (left) at the Logan Heights Family Health Center in Barrio Logan on April 3, 2021.

(For Ariana Drehsler / San Diego Union-Tribune)

To deal with that hesitation, she and her fellow doctors are talking to a black audience in online forums and elsewhere.

“It will take more time and education for some people to come in, that’s what we’re trying to do,” she said.

Of the Latin Americans in the inland and coastal areas of North County and in East County, less than 60 percent of Latin Americans vaccinated are vaccinated. Nancy Maldonado, CEO of Chicano Federation, said the group is focusing on areas with low vaccination rates.

“We recognize that there is a lot to do, and much of it is the same as we do in Nan County,” Maldonado said.

Residents of North and East County are asking volunteers for more information and outreach, she said.

“We go where we need it,” she said.

Vista Community Clinic recently launched a one-on-one outreach campaign to reach more residents of North County. Travel buses go to churches, parks and community resources.

Herminia Ramirez, program manager at Vista Community Clinic, said the clinic has also partnered with local groups and school districts to target low-vaccine people, including black residents.

“It was very important to use a consistent and reliable messenger approach in our work because we were able to join the community very deliberately,” Ramirez said.

The county health authorities are planning 130 outreach events for vaccination and testing in North County starting June and are running information sources in the Spanish media. They are doing something similar in East County, launching a program focused on youth vaccination.

Sandra Mendoza (l) and Elizabeth Castro (m) spoke with Johnny Lawrence in a local park to provide vaccination information and booking assistance. Lawrence said he was infected with COVID and has not yet decided on vaccination, but he can learn more about vaccines.

(Nervin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union Tribune)