25 US states want to ‘prioritize’ non-whites for vaccines

Twenty-five of all 50 states have “committed to a focus on racial and ethnic communities” in deciding who should get the coronavirus vaccine first.

“According to our analysis, 25 states have committed to a focus on racial and ethnic communities as they decided which groups should be prioritized when receiving a coronavirus vaccine,” tweeted Jon Levine.

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has asked all U.S. states to look into potentially critical and vulnerable groups to prioritize them for the new coronavirus vaccine, which will be shipped within the U.S. starting Dec. 13, identifying ethnic and minority communities as good candidates for early administration of the vaccine.

Twelve of the 25 states that specifically targeted color communities to receive the vaccine have gone so far as to partner with health care companies located in large minority areas.

Michigan, for example, has stated that minority status and native language can be factors that determine how quickly a person can access the vaccine.

In New Mexico, authorities have stated that they intend to focus on the state’s Native American population.

In North Carolina, officials have “specifically cited historically marginalized populations as an early stage critical population.”

And in Oregon, the health department stated they will ensure that “black, indigenous, Latino / Latina / Latinx, Pacific Islander and tribal communities have equitable access to vaccination.” Rachael Banks, the head of the department, had already announced that vaccines would “be particularly targeted at our color communities who have seen an unfair disproportionate impact from COVID-19”