How Black Doctors Are Addressing COVID-19 Vaccine Worries
Many Black people simply don t trust the COVID-19 vaccine. Our columnist talks to an immunologist about how to change that.
December 29, 2020
December 29, 2020
After months of fast-tracked development, the COVID-19 vaccines are finally available for those who qualify (the rollout process varies by state). But the racism embedded in the United States’ medical system has many Black people hesitant to be inoculated. That leaves doctors worried that the communities hit hardest by the coronavirus and the chronic health conditions it leaves in its wake will not be immunized.
That concern pushed the National Medical Association (NMA), the nation’s largest organization for Black doctors, to create a COVID-19 vaccine task force to provide an additional layer of vetting for the federal government’s review of the vaccines. The hope is to make the process more transparent and help Black people feel comfortable getting vaccinate