California to consider historical injustice in setting vaccine distribution order Print this article
California may include “historical injustice” as a factor in determining the distribution of coronavirus vaccines, a sign of social justice considerations entering the public health effort.
The idea was first introduced to California’s Community Vaccine Advisory Committee on Nov. 25 by Virginia Hedrick, according to NPR.
Hedrick is executive director of the California Consortium for Urban Indian Health. A member of the Yurok Tribe, she pointed out that Native Americans are 4 times more likely to be hospitalized for COVID-19 and twice as likely to die from it than white people.