Why Many Black Americans Changed Their Minds About COVID Shots

[marmar]

TUSKEGEE, Ala. — By the time vaccines for the coronavirus were introduced late last year, the pandemic had taken two of Lucenia Williams Dunn’s close friends. Still, Dunn, a former mayor of Tuskegee, contemplated for months whether to be inoculated.

It was a complicated consideration, framed by the government’s botched response to the pandemic, its disproportionate toll on Black communities and an infamous 40-year government experiment for which her hometown is often associated.

“I thought about the vaccine most every day,” said Dunn, 78, who finally walked into a pharmacy this summer and rolled up her sleeve for a shot, convinced after weighing with her family and doctor the possible consequences of remaining unvaccinated.

“What people need to understand is some of the hesitancy is rooted in a horrible history, and for some, it’s truly a process of asking the right questions to get to a place of getting the vaccine.”

....(snip)....

While gaps persist in some regions, by late September, according to the most recent survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation, a roughly equal share of Black, white and Hispanic adult populations — 70% of Black adults, 71% of white adults and 73% of Hispanic adults — had received at least one vaccine dose. A Pew study in late August revealed similar patterns. Federal data shows a larger racial gap, but that data is missing demographic information for many vaccine recipients. ...........(more)

https://www.yahoo.com/news/why-many-black-americans-changed-120823089.html

[zipplewrath]

1. For the future

This really needs to be studied in detail and become part of the standard response plan going forward for future pandemics. I've said for the last 18 months that a wide variety of academic disciplines will be studying this time period going forward. This includes education, anthropology, sociology, history, medicine, etcetera. We need to know how to influence various portions of the population as early as possible.

[Wounded Bear]

2. I'm just glad we're getting there...

while I understand the reluctance, especially given things like the Tuskegee Study, but thankfully reason is winning out.

Hell, we need those black voters. Let the repubs commit covid suicide.