More than 50% of Covid-19 cases in the United States are African-Americans or Latinos, yet they make up only 15% of the participants in the first Phase III vaccine trial in the United States, together developed by biotech company Moderna and the National Institutes of Health.
In fact, National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins gave the trial a grade “C” for recruiting minorities.
“From the first week, I saw the numbers, and they were not as encouraging as I would like,” Collins told CNN.
The vaccine could be delayed if the trials do not recruit enough minorities. That’s why Huerta, a longtime public health advocate, volunteered for the Phase III trial.
“When you have a clinical trial, it is extremely important that all races and ethnicities are represented, because sometimes there are differences in toxicity and effectiveness of a medication like vaccine,” Huerta said.
“As a Latino, I thought it was very important for me to get involved.”
Huerta, a professor of medicine at George Washington University, was elected president of the American Cancer Society in 2007, and became the first Latino president in its history.
He is also the founder and director of the Cancer Preventorium at the Washington Cancer Institute, and hosts several radio programs featuring RPP Noticias de Perú focusing on health care and more.
Why are Blacks and Latinos the hardest hit?
There are a number of reasons why Black and Brown communities have higher risks of catching Covid-19 and have more severe reactions that can lead to hospitalization and death.
There are also structural factors, such as economic and housing policy; and social factors, such as essential status of employee employment that require personal employment, according to the CDC report.
Black leaders agree that it is difficult to recruit Black people in the vaccine trials.
“Please consider it, especially African Americans and Latinos who are underrepresented in this study,” Huerta said. “You will get your injection, you will participate, the study will last 25 months, and you will help yourself and the community.”
Half of the study participants receive the actual vaccine, and half receive a placebo. Participants will follow up for about two years if they have symptoms or side effects.
In the meantime, Huerta has some advice.
Exercising one of those safety precautions should not be ignored by others, he added. All are needed to win the battle against this deadly new disease.
CNN’s Elizabeth Cohen and Naomi Thomas contributed to this story.
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