The vaccine gap between Black and White Americans narrowed. But it's back for booster shots.

Source: Washington Post

The vaccine gap between Black and White Americans narrowed. But it’s back for booster shots.

That puts majority-Black communities like Prince George’s County, Md., at risk amid the current surge

By Rachel Chason
Today at 6:00 a.m. EST

Deneen Richmond hears a lot of confusion — and a lot of concern — about coronavirus vaccine boosters in this majority-Black suburb of Washington.

Some say vaccines don’t seem to work because vaccinated people are still getting sick. Others say it’s not worth taking time off to deal with the potential side effects. Or that no one clearly explained why guidance changed from two shots to three.

“We have to overcome the naysayers all over again,” said Richmond, who leads Luminis Health Doctors Community Medical Center, a hospital that was founded in Prince George’s County, Md., in 1975. “It’s like, ‘Hit replay, repeat.’ … That is what we are going to need to do with the booster.”

Across the country, the herculean efforts of advocates and health officials like Richmond brought shots to those who were initially resistant in churches, barber shops, homes and wherever people felt comfortable. Such nationwide campaigns helped narrow initially yawning gaps in vaccination rates between Black and White Americans.

But with the arrival of the booster, the disparity returned.

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Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/12/29/black-americans-booster-covid/

Shared WaPo link: https://wapo.st/3exW9Hh