America’s richest are finding ways to access the vaccine ahead of those who qualify for it.
Why it matters: The pandemic has already exacerbated existing health inequalities and disadvantaged communities are lagging behind on vaccinations compared to the white and wealthy.
The incident: In January, Florida’s Baptist Health Systems helped vaccinate 1,200 residents of the wealthy Ocean Reef community, but the doses came from stockpiling vaccines for the general public, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
- While Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) insists the state was “not involved,” a Baptist Health spokesman said that Ocean Reef Medical Center has asked Florida for doses, which the state has subsequently requested from Baptist Health.
- Some of the beneficiaries were wealthy Republican donors who had contributed to DeSantis’ political action committee, Axios’s Ben Montgomery reported.
- Baptist Health was forced to cancel vaccination appointments for “hundreds of people” due to the shortage, according to the Times. DeSantis has since faced backlash.
But that’s not the only case of rich people walking down the line.
- In Philadelphia, the 22-year-old CEO of a COVID-responsive startup was caught taking doses for his friends.
- In another instance, nursing home board members and major donors were invited to receive the vaccine intended for residents of West Palm Beach, Florida.
- The Los Angeles Times has reported that affluent Californians are using vaccines aimed at black and Latino communities.
- Wealthy clients in Los Angeles and New York City offered donations of up to $ 25,000 to janitors in exchange for the vaccine.
- “Suddenly our clinic was full of whites,” George Jones, the head of a nonprofit that runs a medical clinic, told the New York Times in February. ‘We had never had that before. We serve people who are disproportionately African American. ‘
The big picture: An analysis of local vaccine data in 10 states with the largest wealth gaps found that a number of states had vaccinated a significantly higher proportion of people in the wealthiest counties, according to STAT.
- Connecticut has the most “glaring inequality” in vaccination coverage between the richest and poorest communities with a difference of 65%.
- California, Florida, New Jersey and Mississippi have also vaccinated people in the richest 10% of the counties at much higher rates.
- Cities continue to struggle to adequately reach lower-income communities of color.
The administration of Biden has allocated $ 250 million in grants to civil society organizations in an effort to combat inequality in cities’ response to the coronavirus.
- States like Colorado and Minnesota are also trying to address gaps in vaccine distribution.
Go deeper: “Vaccine tourism” is draining states’ stocks