COVID-19 has devastated America’s black communities disproportionately. Black Americans are three times more likely to die from the virus than whites, and more than 48,000 people have died since the epidemic began. But, the U.S. As they move closer to approving the coronavirus vaccine, public health officials are working to sell them on the vaccine to combat racism and a long history of misconduct with black Americans.
According to a Pew Research Center study published this month, the study suggests that black communities are less likely to be vaccinated compared to other ethnic groups. Of the 12,648 adults surveyed, only 42% of black Americans would consider the vaccine, while 63% of Hispanics, 61% of white adults, and 83% of English-speaking Asian Americans would consider the vaccine.
Confidence in the vaccine by the black community and the country’s medical establishment have a long record of abuse. Was defined by medical success in the nation’s scientific community in the late 1900s, but many of these experiments and discoveries were made “at the expense of the human dignity of black people,” said Dr. Reed Tucson, co-founder of the Covid vs. Black Coalition. “People of color have a history of humiliation in health care.”
In 1951, Henrietta Lex, a woman with cervical cancer, went to Johns Hopkins Hospital for treatment. When doctors sampled her cancer cells, they found that her cells had doubled at an unseen rate, making them ideal for cancer research. Since 1951, these “Hela” cells, after the names of the first two letters of its first and last name, have been used to advance biomedical research.
But the deficient cells were used without his knowledge or consent and his family failed to obtain any funding from companies using “Hela” cells for medical research.
Another infamous example is the Tuscany Syphilis Experiment, a 1931 study by the Public Health Service and the Tuscany Institute, which examined the progression of syphilis in black men.
In 1972, an Associated Press report found that hundreds of participants had been misled about the experiment and untreated – penicillin was also discontinued when it became the standard treatment for the disease in 1947. The men and their families were later given a 10 million settlement. And health benefits for their descendants from the federal government but this phenomenon is at the forefront of the minds of the black community.
Earlier this week, Dr. Anthony Fawcett said he Absolutely respect The skepticism within Black Americans but he said it is sad that Black Americans are losing the benefits of the vaccine. “The horrible and shameful things that happened so long ago are unforgivable,” Foi said Tuesday. “It would be doubly sad if its delayed effects prevented you from doing something important.”
“The time now is to put skepticism aside,” Fookie said. “You will save yourself and your family from illness as well as your community.”
Although these areas of distrust are historical examples, studies show that black Americans still face implicit racial prejudice and discrimination among health care providers. In underdeveloped communities, access to primary care physicians dedicated to black individuals is less likely, due to a lack of health care that is directly linked to higher cases of chronic, uninjured diseases in the black community.
Washington Washington, D.C. In, black residents make up about 46% of the population, but the virus causes 80% of deaths. In Chicago, black residents died six times more than white residents.
For twin sisters and doctors Della Wardla and Ella MacDonald, the lack of trusted black doctors and poor primary care access in underworld communities are some of the biggest reasons why the black community is being hit so hard by COVID-19.
Poor or lack of regular healthcare can lead to a lack of diagnosis of chronic diseases such as diabetes, asthma, high blood pressure, heart disease and kidney disease – all conditions The CDC says people are at higher risk of contracting the virus.
Wardlaw and M. D. Codonald believe that black physicians can play an important and personal role in reducing the black community’s fears and concerns about the COVID-19 crisis, which they consider a “valuable” part of the education process.
The sisters set up a community COVID-19 test in Philadelphia, where black residents contract the virus at twice the rate of White Philly residents, and COVID-19 accounts for more than 55% of hospital admissions.
“The goal is to ensure that patients have enough information, they are considering all concerns, all information and available options. So that we can be sure that history is not allowing us to be statistical.
In addition, clinical trials for both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines lack black, brown, and indigenous participants, as black individuals account for only 10% and 8% of their trial participants, respectively, a lack cited by many in the black community. Reason for disbelief.
Dr. G. Gary Gibbons, director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of Health, said it was important to increase the variety of vaccine tests to show confidence in the black community and to ensure that the vaccine is effective for all people.
“It is very important that the same communities that are affected by the disease, or this epidemic, be involved in research designed to establish what is safe and effective, to treat or prevent the disease more effectively.” Gibbons.
Across the country, Black health leaders, researchers, pastors and advocates are working together to reduce the fear of potential vaccine participants. One such group: the Black Coalition against COVID-19, has created a series of town halls directly addressing the questions and concerns of residents.
“It is our hope and conclusion that by speaking regularly and consistently with the Black community from a love-based, trustworthy and scientifically valid perspective, we should really make a big difference in how many people are thinking about these issues, and for themselves, their families.” And making choices and decisions for their communities, ”Tucson said.
In New York City, the Ali Forney Center, a shelter dedicated to homeless LGBTQ + youth, is working to prevent the spread of misinformation surrounding the virus. The Center has recently transformed its education platform to focus on vaccine education.
“It’s especially important to take note of this population, our young people are being degraded by society, ”said Alex Rock, director of the center,“ and if you lose that trust and when you lose the trust of people who believe you love, Who do you trust then? “
Ambrose Lane Jr., chairman of Health Coalition, the largest community-based health advocacy group in Washington, D.C., said his group is working to educate black residents on the vaccine. Lane said he hopes a renewed focus on medical distrust will help combat the fear of the COVID-19 vaccine and the widespread distrust of the country’s scientific community.
“If we now have this opportunity to be able to really focus on addressing the inequalities that exist in our communities, we will have a better health care system and we will be ready for next time,” Lane said. “Because eventually, the next time will come.”
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