Combating COVID-19 Vaccine Inequity During the Early Stages of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, populations of color have been disproportionately impacted, with higher rates of infection, hospitalization, and mortality, compared to non-Hispanic whites. These disparities in health outcomes are likely related to a combination of factors including underlying socioeconomic inequities, unequal access to healthcare, higher rates of employment in essential or public-facing occupations, language barriers, and COVID-19 vaccine inequities. In this manuscript the authors discuss strategies of how one local health department responded to vaccine inequities to better serve historically excluded communities throughout the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. These efforts helped increase vaccination rates in marginalized communities, primarily in the Black or African American population in Durham County, North Carolina.

Automated summary

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, populations of color have experienced disproportionate impacts, including higher rates of infection, hospitalization, and mortality compared to non-Hispanic whites. These disparities are influenced by various factors, such as socioeconomic inequities, unequal access to healthcare, employment in essential or public-facing occupations, language barriers, and disparities in COVID-19 vaccination. This manuscript discusses the strategies employed by a local health department to address vaccine inequities and improve vaccination rates in historically marginalized communities, particularly the Black or African American population in Durham County, North Carolina during the early stages of the pandemic in 2021.