Breaking Down the Barriers of Mistrust in the COVID-19 Vaccine in Black Communities
Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett
By Alfa Lafleur, APRN
As new milestones are reached in positive cases and deaths due to COVID-19 daily, people of color continue to be disproportionately affected. The risk is highest in the black community, as they hold front-line jobs deemed “essential” and have less access to testing and healthcare. Now that a vaccine is on the horizon, a recent study indicates that this most vulnerable population is also the most hesitant to receive the vaccine. A study conducted by the Pew Research Center between November 18 and November 29, 2020 discovered that only 42% of African Americans polled stated that they would get the vaccine once it’s made available. This falls far behind Asian, White, and Latinx respondents and is concerning as 71% of Black respondents stated that they knew someone who had died or had been hospitalized due to coronavirus. Ultimately researchers found that Black study participants reported being more hesitant to receive the vaccine over concerns about its safety, rather than its effectiveness.
Healthcare as an institution has a generations-long history of racism, that has led to mistrust and health disparities in the Black community. Many recall the experience of Henrietta Lacks, who while dying of cancer, had her cells taken without her knowledge for experimentation by doctors at John Hopkins University. Additionally, in Tuskegee, Alabama between 1932 and 1972, the United States Public Health Service conducted an experiment to study the effects of untreated syphilis in Black men. Even when penicillin was determined to be the recommended drug treatment for syphilis in 1943, researchers did not offer it to the subjects. Infamous and unethical experiments like these highlight why African Americans are less likely to openly accept that the COVID-19 vaccine development process - entitled “Operation Warp Speed” - is completely safe. Though justified, this mistrust has resulted in a decreased willingness to consent to participate in vaccine trials for coronavirus and equally less likely to receive the vaccine.
Dr. Leon McDougle
What can healthcare providers of color do to foster trust in the COVID-19 vaccine for the African American community at large? Dr. Leon McDougle, a family physician and president of the National Medical Association, has created a group of Black physicians and other doctoral-prepared providers tasked with independently vetting regulators’ decisions regarding COVID-19 medications and vaccines. Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, viral immunologist, leads the coronavirus research at the National Institute of Health and she played a major role in developing the Moderna vaccine, which reports a 94.5% efficacy. Dr. Corbett has spoken out regarding the role that systemic racism has played in the pandemic and has been openly critical about the lack of diversity on this current administration’s coronavirus task force. Former President Barack Obama has also likely recognized the anxiety in the African American community, as he stated in a recent interview that he would be willing to receive the vaccination in front of cameras when it becomes available.
It is clear that overcoming this obstacle of mistrust is essential to ending the pandemic quickly. Healthcare providers to the African American community must establish this trust through transparency and education, or else the COVID-19 pandemic will persist in disproportionately impacting Blacks and strengthening the systemic inequities in America.
Alfa Lafleur, APRN is board-certified as a Family Nurse Practitioner and has over 15 years of experience in healthcare. She holds 2 undergraduate degrees in Psychology and Nursing from Curry College, a Master of Science in Nursing degree from LaSalle University and a post-graduate nurse practitioner certification from the University of Massachusetts-Boston.
She has a passion for partnering with her patients to optimize health and wellness, and works diligently to improve healthcare access and equity to vulnerable and underserved populations.
Contact: alfa.lafleur@outlook.com
