The Washington Post highlighted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention‘s latest data on the the demographics of who’s been affected by COVID-19. Since the fall of 2021, the rates of White people affected by COVID-19 has been similar to or higher than the Black population. As of Oct. 26, 2022, the rate of White people affected by COVID-19 is higher than Black people.
Due to unequal exposure, spread, vulnerability and treatment, Black, Latino and Native American people had been 60% more likely to die of COVID, according to the report. In the summer of 2021, America saw some of its lowest death rates, as vaccines were accessible. When the Delta variant arrived, which vaccinated individuals could contract, vaccination rates slowed and public trust in vaccinations decreased with it.
One of the reasons cited by the Post was that many Republicans chose not to be vaccinated. Ohio State researchers found both Black and White people were equally hesitant to take the vaccine at first, but Black people overcame the hesitancy faster. Researchers at the University of Georgia found White people assumed the pandemic affected Black people at a disproportionate rate, so they were less supportive of recommended safety measures, according to an article in Social Science & Medicine. Some White Americans have been hesitant to sign up for the Affordable Care Act, introduced by President Barack Obama that might have allowed them to have access to care.
