COVID vaccination rates lag for Black Ohioans

Of the more than 1.8 million Ohioans who have received at least one COVID-19 vaccination dose, only 5.6% went to Black Ohioans, who comprise about 13% of Ohio’s population (Source: “Black Ohioans are 13% of state population, but 5.6% of the vaccine recipients,” Ohio Capital Journal, March 5).

Part of the explanation for the gap: Black people comprise 14.3% of the general population in the U.S., according to 2019 census estimates. However, because of lower life expectancy, they comprise just 9.7% of the 65-and-up population, which most states have prioritized for the vaccines.

“It is likely a conglomeration of a number of different factors,” said Reem Aly, a vice president at the Health Policy Institute of Ohio. “It is going to be inequities we see in access to care, historically, we know that there is racism within the health care system and there is an understandable mistrust in Black communities of health care providers. That is certainly contributing to the issue.”