COVID Disparity Widens for Latinx Community with Vaccination Rates
Image: Ximena Ospina-Todd of Latino Network at a vaccination clinic in January
Vaccine Disparities Greatest for the Latinx Community
In a press availability with the Governor today, Oregon Health Authority (OHA) Director, Patrick Allen, highlighted that Oregon’s vaccination program is not on track regarding racial and ethnic inequity in responding to the pandemic or in vaccination rates. Latinx communities in Oregon have seen the most pronounced inequities when compared to whites.
People who identify as white represent 75% of people in Oregon however, while they only comprise about half (48%) of COVID-19 cases, they account for 74% of vaccinations.
People who identify as Latino or Hispanic represent 13% of people in Oregon but comprise 26% of COVID-19 cases – twice their proportion of the population.
Only 5% of the vaccinations administered to date have been administered to the Latinx community.
People who identify as Black or African American are 2% of the state population and they represent 2.4% of COVID-19 cases. They represent under 2% of COVID-19 vaccinations.
Native Americans comprise close to 2% of people in Oregon and account for close to 2% of COVID-19 cases and 2% of COVID-19 vaccinations.
"OHA is committed to interrupting the widening racial, ethnic and other inequities we see in vaccinations and throughout the pandemic. We’re working to build bridges with communities our health care system has failed to serve well, improve access to vaccines and other health care, eliminate health inequity and enable more people to live a healthier life,” said Director Allen. “Working with Federally Qualified Health Centers is at the core of our effort to eliminate COVID-19 health inequities.”
Join the OLLN Town Hall vaccine discussion on Wednesday, Feb 24 from 12-1pm to learn more and talk about the importance of swift action to ensure Latino communities are getting accurate, timely vaccine information, are being prioritized in vaccination strategies by state and local governments and agencies, and are getting the support needed to access vaccines.