White residents in Connecticut are getting the COVID vaccine at higher rates than Black residents
By Alex Putterman
Hartford Courant (TNS)
White Connecticut residents continue to get vaccinated for COVID-19 at a higher rate than residents of other racial and ethnic groups, state data released Thursday shows.
According to state numbers, at least 39% of white Connecticut residents 65 or older have received at least one vaccine dose, compared with 27% of Hispanic residents, 26% of Asian residents and 21% of Black residents in that age group.
Unlike similar numbers released on Feb. 10, which were based on 2010 census data, these latest figures use 2019 population estimates, a spokesperson for Gov. Ned Lamont said.
Officials warn that the race-by-race data is messy and incomplete, with an abnormal number of vaccine recipients having been classified as "other race" or "unknown." Still, they say, the trend is inescapable: Connecticut's white residents have so far been disproportionately likely to receive a vaccine, while Black residents have been particularly unlikely to receive one.
Town-by-town data published Thursday showed a similar pattern, with Hartford, Bridgeport, New Britain and Waterbury reporting the smallest shares of their population having received at least one vaccine dose of any Connecticut municipalities. Those cities are four of the seven least white municipalities in the state and four of the six with the lowest median household incomes.
This trend persists after adjusting for age of population, with those four cities ranking among the bottom seven in vaccination among residents 65 and older.
Meanwhile, the municipalities with the highest rates of vaccination among residents 65 and older are mostly suburban or rural towns such as Union, Essex, Pomfret, New Canaan, Wilton, Weston and Darien.
Though there are exceptions to this pattern — Bloomfield has a relatively high rate of vaccination, while some Fairfield County towns have relatively low rates — residents of whiter, wealthier areas appear to be disproportionately likely to have received vaccine doses.
The conversation around racial disparities in vaccine distribution has come further to the forefront in recent days with the rollout of Lamont's new allocation strategy, which determines priority almost exclusively according to age.
Some critics of the plan say recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which prioritize essential workers and people with underlying health conditions, would come closer to addressing these disparities.
"It's really hard to see how we are addressing the exponential exposure and risk that people of color are facing in our state," said Tekisha Everette, executive director of Health Equity Solutions and a member of the state's vaccine allocation subgroup.
State officials argue that the relative simplicity of an age-based distribution will result in greater equity among whichever group is eligible for vaccination at a given time.
Lamont has pledged to combat racial disparities in vaccine distribution by targeting a certain share of available vaccines to towns and cities with high rates of poverty and low access to transportation, including through mobile clinics.