As Americans battle the pandemic of racism in the streets and protesters call for justice amid the recent deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and others at the hands of law enforcement officials across the country, another pandemic is still dealing out a lot of damage to the community. There are still new cases of COVID-19, or the novel coronavirus, developing weekly and one of the groups hardest hit has been African Americans. Despite this fact, a new poll shows many won’t be getting a vaccine once it becomes available.
A new survey conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 49% of Americans say they plan to get a vaccination once one becomes available with another 31% saying they
are unsure if they will get vaccinated. Twenty percent of respondents flat out said they will not be getting any vaccine. As the respondents were broken down by age, race, and gender, disparities emerged among different groups.“Older Americans, and those who worry that they or someone in their household could be infected with the virus are more inclined to say
they will get a coronavirus vaccine once it becomes available,” researchers said according to NPR. “Black Americans are more likely than other racial and ethnic groups to say they do not plan to get the vaccine if it becomes available.”The survey also showed that white Americans were far more likely to get a coronavirus vaccine, outpacing black Americans 56% to 25%. The study found 37% of Hispanics say they will get a vaccine once one becomes readily available. One of the main factors why African Americans are hesitant to receive any vaccine dates back to the Tuskegee experiments
and medical discrimination across the field.Despite the finds, reports of a vaccine being available to the general public are still a long way off.