Due to the disparity in COVID-19 vaccination rates, the population is in an “unstable position”, according to studies

Overall, researchers have found that thousands of people are more susceptible to serious illness as the widespread disparity in vaccine and boost coverage persists in the state and the increasingly infectious virus circulates. I found that I was there.

“Despite the calm COVID-19 infection rate, MA is in an unstable position,” they write.

of the studyWas posted online on Monday, but had not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal. The team analyzed state data on residents vaccinated and boosted by the ZIP Code until March 1. Demographic data such as education level, household income, occupation.

When researchers take education and age into account, many communities with a concentration of black and Latino residents and key workers have higher levels of vaccination than similar communities with more white residents and fewer key workers. Turned out to be high.

For example, consider the towns of Randolph and Dartmouth. Both are located south of Boston, have similar age distributions, and have residents with a college graduation rate of approximately 27%. In Randolph, where blacks and Latins make up about 53% of the population, 81% of the town was vaccinated. However, in Dartmouth, where 8% of the population is black or Latin, only 60% of the community was vaccinated.

“This does not mean that race is not an issue,” said Jacob Bo, assistant professor of epidemiology and global health at Boston University’s School of Public Health and lead author of the study.

He said race, ethnicity, age, and education level overlap. The team found that a community of colors and a community with many essential workers are young on average, have low education levels and incomes, and can affect people’s access to shots.

“These differences in income and education between blacks, Latins and indigenous peoples are the product of a long-standing pattern of differences in education, wealth and access to opportunities,” Bor said.

The income discovered by the team was also a strong predictor of vaccination coverage. Increasing the median household income of a zip code by $ 10,000 will increase vaccination and addition rates. From the lowest income level to the highest income level, booster coverage increased from less than 30% to over 60%.

“Our analysis shows that education and income are a better explanation of patterns than race and ethnicity itself,” said BU Chairman of the Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Public Health, of the study. Senior author Dr. Jonathan Levy said.

However, despite the high, relatively equitable coverage of the original vaccination schedule for adults, researchers have found that there is a large inequality in rates among children and that booster shots are very common in all age groups. I found that there was a big inequality.

At zip codes, which have the highest percentage of college-educated residents, about 70% of children are vaccinated. Conversely, less than 40% of children vaccinated with 10% of zip codes have the lowest percentage of college-educated residents, including those with the highest percentage of blacks, Latinos, and indigenous peoples. ..

“We work with community partners who provide vaccinations outside of healthcare facilities, overtime and on weekends to overcome poverty and education barriers, including providing clear and accurate information from trusted sources. We need to double our ongoing efforts to do so, “Dr. Bisola Ojikutu, Boston Public Health Commissioner, and co-author of the study.

“The only way to deal with this inequality is by tenacity,” she said.

Looking at who received at least one booster, the disparity was also noticeable, and managing education and age levels did not change the situation as it did with the primary vaccine series. Researchers have found that the percentage of residents aged 65 and over who received boosters is just over 50% by zip code, the lowest percentage of college graduates, and the highest percentage of black, Latin, or indigenous peoples. rice field. Still, booster coverage was over 70% for more educated zip codes and zip codes with a larger Caucasian population.

Experts say that a better understanding of the causes of inequality should help policy makers deal with inequality.

“This report emphasizes that people living complex lives, and many who were hesitant and stereotyped, actually had high immunization rates, and this. Is an access issue and we really show that we have to be better, “said Atyia Martin, executive director of Next Leadership Development, a nonprofit organization focused on building resilience for the black community. I am.

Vaccines are widely available in local pharmacies and clinics, but Martin et al. State that many low-income key workers often lack transportation and vacation, especially if side effects occur after vaccination. increase.

“We need to have a more sophisticated strategy and explain the real lives of people and what they are dealing with,” Martin said. “And we need to use the data as a guide to the decisions we make.”

Researchers should broadly extend the strategies used successfully during the deployment of the first vaccine, such as establishing a more convenient place and time for key workers to receive injections, for boosters. I suggested that there is. They also said Massachusetts needs to target this push, especially in low-educated communities, regardless of race composition.

Brennan Klein, a postdoctoral fellow at Northeastern University who studied COVID and racial bias, described the researchers as a “careful statistical approach.” .. ..Offer [state policy leaders] A great roadmap on how to move your vaccination efforts forward. “

Nadia Abelezam, an associate professor specializing in biostatistics and health inequality at Boston University’s Connell Nursing School, said the study was at postal code level to fine-tune public messages in future immunization initiatives. He said he would provide very specific geographic information up to.

“It allows us to think about where people live, work and play, and how it affects their health,” she said.

Michael Curry, Chief of the Community Health Center Federation, was impressed by the researchers’ finding a strong correlation between education levels and vaccination status. He said policy leaders and healthcare providers need to use their findings to guide ongoing and future vaccination efforts.

“We must stop relying on people with college degrees and high school diplomas to get what they need to make health decisions,” he said. rice field.

“We need employers to keep pace with health providers and health plans in constantly providing health information and health counseling that can prevent high morbidity and mortality in this pandemic,” he said. Said.

Curry added that the approach is also effective for other health initiatives such as cancer screening and diabetes treatment.

However, researchers expressed concern that the lessons learned from the pandemic and the disparities revealed by their work were still not being noted.

“The rate of new vaccinations and boosts is slowing as Massachusetts exits the winter surge and authorities now predict it will’return to normal’,” said Bor, the lead author of the study. Stated. “Without new efforts to increase coverage, these inequality may continue.”

In conclusion, “there will be many poor, low-educated zip code people who will suffer the wave of future COVID due to low vaccination and booster rates, regardless of race composition,” he said.

Keirazar can be reached at [email protected] Follow her on Twitter @GlobeKayLazar..