AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin Public Well being launched a brand new COVID-19 vaccine distribution dashboard Saturday (viewable right here for desktop and right here on cellular units) which reveals the demographics of the greater than 31,000 individuals they’ve offered COVID-19 vaccine doses to to date.
APH is among the main state-designated “hubs” for vaccine distribution, although it isn’t the one place you will get COVID-19 vaccines within the Austin space.
The vaccine recipients represented on the dashboard skews older than Travis County’s inhabitants as an entire, with practically 70% of these vaccinated by APH at 60 years of age or older. Austin well being leaders have stated this age distribution is to be anticipated, particularly contemplating anybody over the age of 65 is eligible for the COVID-19 proper now beneath the state of Texas’ 1B tier standards.
All through the vaccine rollout, Austin-area elected officers and group teams have requested Austin Public Well being for particulars about how vaccine distribution could be made equitable in Austin, particularly contemplating Black and Hispanic Austinites make up a disproportionate charge of the world’s COVID-19 deaths.
On Friday, Austin Interim Well being Authority Dr. Mark Escott cautioned, “we’ve acquired to be very cautious about decoding the fairness of allocations [of the COVID-19 vaccine] proper now based mostly on race and ethnicity as a result of proper now the nationwide precedence is on older people.”
He famous that Travis County’s inhabitants over 65 years outdated is far much less various than the remainder of the town. In response to 2019 American Group Survey 1-Yr Estimates, 48% of Travis County’s general inhabitants, 48.8% of the county’s residents are white non-Hispanic, 33.6% are Hispanic or Latino, and eight.2% are Black. By comparability, the 2019 ACS information reveals that out of Travis County’s inhabitants of these age 65 and older, 68.2% are white non-Hispanic, 18.1% are Hispanic or Latino and seven.6 % are Black.
“This is because of a few of the underlying social determinants of well being that result in shorter life expectations for our communities of shade,” Escott defined.
The demographics of the individuals APH has vaccinated for COVID-19 to date look extra just like Travis County’s over 65 demographics: 64% white, 18.8% Hispanic, and 4% Black.
“Fairly frankly, I used to be actually dissatisfied in seeing the numbers, in fact, you at all times hope for the very best, however I felt that, you realize, we might be doing extra and ought to be doing extra to make sure that we’re being equitable in how we administer our vaccines,” stated Austin Metropolis Council Member Vanessa Fuentes who represents District 2 in southeast Austin.
She identified that Austin’s Latino group makes up a disproportionately excessive charge of the COVID-19 instances and deaths within the Austin space.
“We now have to middle our communities which might be being affected probably the most to make sure we’re curbing the unfold of the virus and decreasing threat, thereby saving lives,” she stated.
She acknowledges that Austin Public Well being has been striving to carry extra fairness into the vaccine distribution course of, for instance, by partnering with Travis County to increase the decision middle to assist extra individuals with COVID-19 vaccine appointments who might not be computer-literate. Austin Public Well being stated the expanded name middle operation, in partnership with Travis County, ought to be prepared to start on Monday.
“We additionally noticed within the information for our African American group is nowhere close to the place we would like it to be in proportion to the inhabitants they signify in Travis County,” Fuentes added of the APH COVID-19 vaccine distribution information. “We now have to make it possible for we’re decreasing boundaries to having access to the vaccine and getting the phrase out to our group and guaranteeing that folk comprehend it’s protected to get vaccinated and that they know the place to enroll to get the vaccine and that the information displays our group.”
Austin Mayor Professional Tem Natasha Harper-Madison, who represents District 1 in east and northeast Austin, famous that she is grateful Austin Public Well being was capable of share this new demographic information in order that elected officers can use it to assist information their choices and outreach to the group going ahead.
Like Fuentes, Harper Madison additionally expressed concern concerning the disproportionately low share of APH COVID-19 vaccine recipients who’re Black.
“I didn’t see something that I used to be shocked by,” Harper-Madison stated of the APH COVID-19 vaccine distribution information, “however I’m positively recognizing that the numbers are positively decrease than we’d prefer to see them, in our Latino inhabitants, additionally in our Black inhabitants with us hovering round 4%, we may positively do higher. “
Primarily based on her expertise serving to out with a cellphone financial institution for Austin COVID-19 vaccine outreach, Harper-Madison believes that the “digital divide” — the dearth of web entry, laptop literacy, or assist for older individuals who need assistance navigating the web registration course of — is a barrier that will have contributed to the notably low charge of Black group members vaccinated by APH to date.
Harper-Madison defined that she and the council members representing east Austin (District 1, 2, 3 and 4) are planning to share extra data this week a couple of volunteer outreach marketing campaign to assist extra individuals within the Jap Crescent get signed up for the COVID-19 vaccine. They plan to begin knocking on doorways in a couple of week.
Even if you’re not a part of this explicit east Austin volunteer effort, Harper-Madison encourages you to verify on the individuals in your circle, particularly older people or these with out web, to see in the event that they need assistance registering for the vaccine.
“That is positively a type of instances as a group we should be trying round and seeing what it’s that we will contribute,” she stated.
