Why some Black Americans are skeptical of a COVID-19 vaccine
By Zoe Christen Jones
Combatting coronavirus vaccine mistrust
COVID-19 has disproportionately ravaged Black communities across America. Black Americans are three times more likely to die from the virus than Whites and more than 48,000 have died since the beginning of the pandemic. But as the U.S. moves closer to approving a coronavirus vaccine, public health officials are working to confront the long history of racism and mistreatment of Black Americans to sell them on a vaccine.
Studies suggest the Black community is "less inclined" to take the vaccine than any other racial group, according to a Pew Research Center study published this month. Of the 12,648 adults surveyed, only 42% of Black Americans would consider taking the vaccine, compared to 63% of Hispanics, 61% of White adults, and 83% of English-speaking Asian Americans who would.