Thursday, March 28, 2024

Study Claims COVID Vaccine Hesitancy Drops Among Black People

African American - Black boy getting COVID shot - Gettyimages
Getty

*According to a study from researchers at The Ohio State University, Black people who were initially hesitant to take the experimental jab are now said to be more likely than white people to get the vaccine, according to Ohio State News.

“From the start of the vaccine rollout, we began to hear about how Black Americans were going to resist vaccinations. Our study highlights that any emphasis on hesitance as the primary challenge to vaccination among Black Americans would be a mistake,” said study lead author Tasleem Padamsee of Ohio State’s College of Public Health.

“We must not lose sight of the significant access barriers that persist, including distant vaccine sites, lack of transportation and inflexible work hours.”

READ MORE: Stephen A. Smith Details COVID-19 Experience – ‘Had I Not Been vaccinated, I Wouldn’t be Here’ | WATCH

Here’s more from Ohio State News about the study:

The study followed the same group of Americans over time, surveying them about their views regarding the pandemic. This approach allowed the researchers to measure how individual and group perspectives shifted during a time when the world was gaining new information about both the virus and the vaccine by the day.

Data was collected in seven waves from an initial group of 1,200 participants (response numbers decreased modestly as the study progressed). The surveys began before vaccines became available in late 2020, and ended in June 2021. Participants were asked about their likelihood of getting a vaccine and about their beliefs regarding the safety, efficacy and need for the vaccine.

About 38% of Black participants and 28% of white participants were hesitant at the start of the study. By June, 26% of Black participants and 27% of white participants were hesitant. The data pointed to changes in beliefs about the protections the vaccine offered as a key explanation.

Omicron Variant
Omicron Variant on test tube – New Variant of Covid 19 / Getty

“As availability of the vaccine approached, and then as it became available, we were hearing as part of the national conversation this assumption that Black Americans would be less likely to seek vaccines because of well-earned distrust shaped by racism,” Padamsee said.

“But we also know that Black Americans are highly motivated to take care of themselves and their communities,” she said.

“The data suggest that Black communities were particularly focused on ways to protect themselves and their communities as more evidence emerged that vaccines were effective and safe,” said study co-author Kelly Garrett, professor of communication at Ohio State.

Per Sharp.com, 51% of Black people in the country have received a COVID-19 vaccine.

“African Americans and Hispanics have lost 2.9 to 3 years of life as a result of COVID-19 — directly or indirectly,” says Dr. Robert Gillespie, a cardiologist with Sharp Rees-Stealy Medical Group. “And that signals there must be something going on. That’s why we are committed to delivering better health to our communities, whether we’re talking about COVID-19 or any other major health condition, from diabetes and obesity to hypertension — all of which overwhelmingly affect the African American community. The way we’ve historically approached health care for this population has not been effective, so we need to look at more effective ways.”

Blacks reportedly account for 15% of COVID-19 deaths in the U.S.

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