Investigative report depicts frustration, discrimination in U.S. vaccination campaign

Washington,USA | THE INDEPENDENT |  One day before U.S. President Joe Biden’s announcement on Tuesday that enough coronavirus vaccines will be delivered for all adults by the end of May, an investigative report has brought to the fore the immense barriers some Americans face in securing a shot.

Nonprofit newsroom ProPublica released a report on Monday highlighting the inequity of America’s vaccination program, featuring stories of ordinary Americans of different backgrounds confronting numerous obstacles simply for trying to secure a jab.

“ProPublica has found that, whether intentionally or not, some vaccine programs have been designed with inherent barriers that disadvantage many people who are most at risk of dying from the disease, exacerbating inequities in access to health care,” the report said.

Disabilities is the first mentioned barrier. The report depicts the story of Kristine Mathason, who spent over a month trying to get her disabled 69-year-old father a shot.

“He’s super high-risk: He’s diabetic, he had a stroke 17 years ago,” she said. “He has high blood pressure. My half brother who lives with him works at a restaurant, so that’s like a high-risk job. We do our best,” the report quoted Mathason as saying.

Citing data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ProPublica said about 14 percent of adults in Florida have disabilities that affect mobility, which the CDC defines as serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs.

Lack of internet access is another obstacle, with several hotlines known to the public are “inundated” with callers. Citing the Pew Research Center, the report said about 10 percent of U.S. adults don’t use the internet.

“Americans who are older, have less income, have less education or are nonwhite are less likely to go online,” the report said.

Registration can pose difficulties for non-English speakers. Though official data showed that Hispanics or Latinos are about 18 percent of the U.S. population and several states claim to offer Spanish service at call centers, many Spanish speakers failed to register for a jab due to the language barrier.

Furthermore, undocumented immigrants in some states are being refused the vaccine and those without cars face difficulties as most vaccine sites are drive-through.

Many people are confused at not receiving any response after applying for a shot on official websites. Several weeks or months could pass before an appointment is confirmed, according to ProPublica.

The experience has so far made Americans “lose faith in the whole process,” the report quoted an interviewee as saying.

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