Barriers stand between the COVID vaccine and some Manatee and Sarasota residents

As vaccines become more widely available in Manatee and Sarasota counties, local groups are working to tear down the barriers that stand between underserved communities and their protection against COVID-19.

“The African-American and Latino community is disproportionately impacted the greatest by this virus,” said Trevor Harvey, president of the Sarasota NAACP. “Now that vaccines have rolled out since January, we’ve continued to see Black and brown communities not having equitable access to the vaccination.”

Of the 143,831 people who received at least one vaccine dose in Manatee County, 109,383 — or 76 percent — were white, according to data released by the Florida Department of Health on Monday morning.

In comparison, 4,313 were Black and 587 were American Indians or Alaskan Natives. Another 19,189 people were listed as “Unknown,” while the remaining people were listed as “Other,” a category that includes Asians, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.

There are longstanding obstacles to health care in communities of color, Harvey said. People’s socioeconomic status — including income, occupation and access to education — is often hurt by racial inequality.

In terms of getting vaccinated against COVID-19, a low socioeconomic status could mean a lack of technology needed to scour the internet for appointments. It could mean that a multi-generational household shares one car and lacks transportation to local vaccine sites.

“Someone has that vehicle because they’re at work,” Harvey continued. “You may not see that individual until 8 p.m. because when they get off from work, now they have to go grocery shopping or go somewhere and try to pay some bills. So an 80-year-old grandmother or a 70-year-old uncle in that multi-generational house, how are they going to get there?”

And even with the proper resources, he said, people of color might be wary about vaccines or medication after wrongdoing from the past. In the 1930s, hundreds of Black men — many who had never seen a doctor — placed their trust in what is now known as the Tuskegee Experiment, a study of syphilis.

They were promised free health care but given placebos instead, allowing researchers to study the full progression of the disease at the expense of unwitting volunteers. The experiment resulted in severe health problems and even deaths.

Decades later, in the early 1950s, Johns Hopkins Hospital took cells from a Black tobacco farmer named Henrietta Lacks without her knowledge. Those cells led to new treatments for a host of illnesses, yet Lacks’ own family went without health insurance.

“We have to not forget our history, but we have to also get people to understand in Black and brown communities, ‘Here’s where we are today,’” Harvey said.

“Leading scientists and doctors that helped develop these vaccines look like you and I,” he continued, describing a conversation he often has with community members. “Where we did not have representation at the table before, we have major representation at the table now.”

So how do you combat fears and break down barriers to the COVID-19 vaccine? “In underserved communities, you have to go where they are,” Harvey said, previewing an upcoming push to get people immunized in Sarasota and Manatee counties.

Tidewell Hospice is partnering with other community organizations — including UnidosNow, Bayside Community Church, the Salvation Army and the Sarasota NAACP — to host vaccination events through May.

The events, which were fully booked as of Monday morning, will result in more than 1,500 people being vaccinated at churches in Sarasota and Bradenton. The Salvation Army also planned to host a one-day event aimed at helping local homeless people.

Harvey said the upcoming events would help to continue the work of a coalition he developed. Members of the group, including leaders of faith organizations and nonprofits, bring reliable information and vaccine opportunities to local neighborhoods.

“Think about the migrant community. Think about the rural community. Think about the homeless community. We are all underserved communities and there’s so many different underlying factors with all of them,” he said.

Many of those factors, including a lack of transportation or widespread rumors about the vaccines’ safety, have affected local Hispanic residents, said Luz Corcuera, the executive director of UnidosNow.

A language barrier sometimes added to the challenges of reaching underserved communities, she said, but UnidosNow assembled its Parent Leadership Program to bridge the communication gap.

The group travels to high-traffic areas like supermarkets and neighborhoods, informing residents about the safety and availability of vaccines in Manatee and Sarasota counties. Equipped with a scannable QR code on their phones, the parent ambassadors can offer a quick and easy way for interested residents to sign up for an appointment.

Of the 143,831 people who received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in Manatee County, 6,587 identified as Hispanic, according to Monday’s report from the state health department. Another 85,948 were listed as “Non-Hispanic,” while 51,296 were unknown.

“Latinos, especially in the brown communities, are people working in essential jobs,” Corcuera said. “They are going to the fields and picking our fruits and vegetables. They are going to the packing houses and hospitals and restaurants. We need to make sure they are protected.”