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Connecticut has so far administered nearly half a million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to eligible residents and workers, but emerging data on the vaccine rollout in individual towns and cities indicate early signs of inequity.
It’s why local health providers, community advocates and leaders are working together to identify residents who are being missed, particularly people in underserved populations within larger cities. In Hartford, collaborators are undertaking more targeted approaches to vaccine education, messaging and accessibility.
“Our communities assert to have real, honest and clear information about the vaccination distribution plans,” said Maria Lino, CEO of The Latino Way. “We are committed to drafting communications respecting culture, identities and languages.”
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New state data revealing town-by-town COVID-19 vaccination coverage shows that the rollout in some areas of Connecticut is happening at a faster rate than in others.
The preliminary numbers confirm what some public health experts and health equity advocates have suspected all along, which is that vulnerable and underserved communities, including Black and brown neighborhoods already suffering high infection and mortality rates, are at risk of falling through the cracks.
“If we’re going to change the way we do business and how we look at health care systems, we have to start thinking about those people who have been left behind in the past in the way of health, that they are serviced,” said state Sen. Marilyn Moore, who represents the city of Bridgeport.
Many Latinos Are Hesitant To Get A COVID-19 Vaccine – Nation & World News wuft.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wuft.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Deicin Garcia is worried about taking a COVID-19 vaccine. Photo by NPR - Deicin Garcia
For Deicin Garcia, distrust of the medical system goes back to when she arrived from Mexico 15 years ago as an undocumented teenager. She and her family had come to pick tobacco on a ranch about a 30-minute drive north of Hartford, Conn. When I started working in the tobacco field, we hardly ever went to the doctor. I don t believe anyone spoke about health insurance, either, Garcia said in Spanish.
After Garcia s father was deported, she left the tobacco ranch and secured permanent status. With her GED, she then trained to become a community health worker and now helps new mothers learn about breastfeeding benefits. Even though Garcia recently had COVID-19, she s not convinced getting vaccinated is a good idea.
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Distrust of the medical system for Deicin Garcia goes back to when she arrived from Mexico 15 years ago as an undocumented teenager. She and her family came to pick tobacco on a ranch about half an hour’s drive north of Hartford.
“When I started working in the tobacco field, we hardly ever went to the doctor. I don’t believe anyone spoke about health insurance, either,” said Garcia in Spanish.
After Garcia’s father was deported, she left the tobacco ranch and secured permanent status. With her GED, she then trained to become a community health worker and now helps new mothers learn about the benefits of breastfeeding. Even though Garcia recently had COVID-19, she’s not convinced that getting vaccinated is a good idea.