Only 6 percent of COVID-vaccinated Lexington residents are Black. City works on fix.
Noting that the city has “some work to do” because only 5.7 percent of Lexington’s first-time COVID-19 vaccine doses have gone to Black residents, Mayor Linda Gorton kicked off Friday a public campaign to advocate for vaccinations.
Black Lexington residents have been infected, hospitalized and killed by COVID-19 at a disproportionate rate compared to white residents. Black people make up 17 percent of the city’s total cases, 26 percent of the city’s hospitalizations and 21 percent of the city’s deaths. Only 14.6 percent of Lexington’s population is Black, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Lexington’s white residents have received 77 percent of the first doses administered in the city, according to data provided by the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department. White residents make up 74.9 percent of the city’s population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
State and city officials have identified “vaccine hesitancy” and unequal access to the vaccine as major factors in the disparity. Gov. Andy Beshear has repeatedly said the state will take steps to ensure equitable vaccine access and address safety concerns.
“In some communities, we are confronting hesitancy about the vaccines that we all want to address as openly as possible to make sure all of Kentucky’s people understand that it is safe, it is effective, and it’s our shot of getting our lives back,” Beshear said in Lexington Friday.
Lexington aimed to address hesitancy Friday by starting its new Lex Do This! campaign and by inviting minority faith leaders to get vaccinated and advocate for the vaccine.
“We hope they will be an inspiration to their congregations and help build confidence in the vaccine,” said Dr. Kraig Humbaugh, public health commissioner. “We have worked with these pastors and clergy since the beginning of the pandemic to improve our outreach throughout Lexington. Today is another way to get more African-Americans in Lexington comfortable with getting the COVID-19 vaccine.
“This is especially important for those 70 and older, as they are at the highest risk of complications, including death, from this virus.”
Faith leaders at the event said they understood concerns, but they were confident it was safe to advise their fellow community members to get the shot.
“There are some historical reasons why people of color, especially African Americans, have some wonder about the authenticity of this effort,” Pastor Richard Gaines said at the vaccination event Friday. “But having looked at the development of it over time, and seeing the people that were actually involved in coming up with the vaccine, I’m quite comfortable in receiving it and even recommending it to other persons.”
Gaines, who is the pastor of Consolidated Baptist Church, added that “we’re in dire shape in our community” without the vaccine.
“For the first time, we have what I believe is a sense of hope in the vaccine that will help us,” he said.
To target underserved populations who may be reluctant to get immunized, the University of Kentucky will offer four vaccine outreach clinics on consecutive Saturdays, according to Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman.
Coleman did not immediately say when or where those clinics will be.
This story was originally published February 12, 2021 at 2:50 PM.