![]() This has been called the “Hispanic paradox,” or “Latino paradox.” Possible explanations include the “healthy immigrant effect”-the fact that recent immigrants tend to be healthier than the locally born population-as well as behavioral factors such as diet and lifestyle. have a higher overall life expectancy than non-Hispanic white people, despite generally having a lower socioeconomic status. Interestingly, Hispanic people in the U.S. “Ignoring the fact that we’ve had Black Americans of younger ages die at higher rates than white Americans-even 10 years older than them-I think reinforces these inequities.” “These age cutoffs ignore the impact of systemic racism on shortening Black Americans’ lives,” Uché Blackstock, founder and CEO of the organization Advancing Health Equity, told Scientific American. Twin physicians Oni and Uché Blackstock wrote about this disparity in a recent Washington Post op-ed calling for lower age limits for Black people to get vaccinated. But because of Black Americans’ shorter life expectancy, fewer of them may be eligible for a vaccine-despite being at a higher risk of death than similar-aged or older white people. One of the primary qualifications for a COVID vaccine in many states is being older (typically age 60 or above), which is known to be among the biggest risk factors for severe disease and death from the novel coronavirus. For some immigrants, language barriers and onerous proof-of-eligibility requirements add more difficulties.Ĭredit: Amanda Montañez Source: Kaiser Family Foundation And not owning a vehicle or living near public transit makes it harder to get to vaccination sites. Poor Internet access may make securing vaccine appointments a challenge. Many factors may be behind these discrepancies : Age minimums for COVID vaccination could favor white Americans, who have a longer life expectancy than Black Americans. Black people in New York, Illinois and Florida are getting vaccinated at notably lower levels as well. The graphic below shows that Hispanic people had some of the lowest vaccination rates proportional to their share of the population, especially in California and Texas. Scientific American visualized these data for five populous states with some of the worst COVID outbreaks: California, Texas, Florida, New York and Illinois. Stories of such inordinate hurdles are fairly common and may help explain why Hispanic and Black people in many states are getting vaccinated at disproportionately lower rates than white or Asian people-despite having a higher burden of COVID-related death and disease.* The Kaiser Family Foundation collects data on COVID cases, deaths and vaccination rates among people who identify as Black, white, Asian or Hispanic. But the Vaccine Hunters ultimately persuaded the facility to administer the woman’s shot. That delegate called the pharmacy, which initially hung up on them. The woman sought help from a local volunteer group called the Vaccine Hunters, or las Caza Vacunas, which contacted a Maryland state delegate. ![]() ![]() She did not have either of them because she is undocumented, and she panicked (even though proof of legal residency was not required for getting a vaccine). When she arrived, staff asked for identification, and she showed them her El Salvador passport. A Latina essential worker who lives in Montgomery County, Maryland, drove an hour and a half south to the nearest pharmacy where she could get her COVID vaccination. ![]()
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