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Q&A Of The Day - Florida Vaccination Rates By Ethnicity Defy Narratives Part 1
Each day I feature a listener question sent by one of these methods.
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Today’s entry: @brianmuddradio The @CDC is coming up with a BS “viral load new study” as an avoidance to putting blame on the ridiculous low numbers of vaccination rates of blacks and Hispanics/Latinos not far behind.
Bottom Line: You bring up a relevant point at this stage of the pandemic in which the CDC is back tracking on mask guidance while tripling down on the need for the unvaccinated to get vaccinated. Who is and isn’t vaccinated at this stage of the pandemic? While commonly news media and politicians have focused on political narratives, the demographic differences based on ethnicity have by far been the most significant. Regarding vaccine hesitancy. The most recent demographic vaccination information is through July 19th. As of that date here’s the breakdown of vaccination rates in Florida based on ethnicity:
- Blacks: 15% of the population, 8% of vaccinations
- Hispanics: 27% of the population, 30% of vaccinations
- Whites: 53% of the population, 58% of vaccinations
Now, the first meaningful takeaway is the narrative that vaccination hesitancy/immunization rates among Hispanics/Latinos is low, doesn’t apply to Florida. In fact, Florida’s Hispanics/Latinos have been the most likely group to immunize relative to population. This is illustrated in Miami-Dade, Florida’s most populous county, which is majority Hispanic, having the 2nd highest vaccination rate of any county. In Florida, here’s what vaccination rates relative to population look like:
- Hispanics: 11% more likely to be vaccinated
- Whites: 9% more likely to be vaccinated
- Blacks: 47% less likely to be vaccinated
Florida’s vaccination hesitancy issues are squarely centered around hesitancy within the Black community. Florida ranks 25th, exactly average, in overall vaccination rates nationally. If not for the extreme hesitancy among Blacks in our state, we’d be among the leaders in vaccination rates. That’s where the effort should almost exclusively be centered if the intent is to truly address under-vaccinated populations. All other related narratives, especially along perceived ideological lines, fall short in our state. In the second part of today’s Q&A I’ll address outcomes relative to vaccinated populations.