Race and ethnicity data missing for nearly half of coronavirus vaccine recipients, federal study finds

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Tue, 2021-02-02 08:47 — mike kraft

Race and ethnicity data missing for nearly half of coronavirus vaccine recipients, federal study finds The lack of data further stymies efforts to ensure an equitable response to a pandemic that continues to unduly burden communities of color. Akilah Johnson Washington Post

Race and ethnicity data was missing for nearly half of all coronavirus vaccine recipients during the first month shots were available, further stymieing efforts to ensure an equitable response to a pandemic that continues to unduly burden communities of color, federal researchers reported Monday.

The findings on vaccination data illustrate that a long-standing lack of information on the race and ethnicity of who has been diagnosed with covid-19, the illness caused by the virus, has carried over to who has been inoculated.

Monday’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report provides a snapshot of the first month of the chaotic vaccine rollout, from Dec. 14 to Jan. 14. The report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that 63 percent of the nearly 13 million people vaccinated in that period were women, 55 percent were older than 50, and 60.4 percent were White.

But race and ethnicity information was missing for about 48 percent of people who received at least one dose of the vaccine, though the data on gender and age was nearly complete.

“We must address these insufficient data points as an urgent priority,” Marcella Nunez-Smith, chair of President Biden’s covid-19 equity task force, said Monday during an administration coronavirus news briefing. “I’m worried about how behind we are. So, let me be clear: We cannot ensure an equitable vaccination program without data to guide us.” ...

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