COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitation in the Black Community

Erica A. Woods

Department of English, Community College of Philadelphia

English 102-016

Dr. Mary Griffin

April 5, 2021

COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitation in the African American Community

There is no doubt whatsoever the COVID-19 has wreaked havoc around the globe. With over 3 million people dead across the world, with the US having registered more than half a million deaths, this is a pandemic unlike any other that the word has encountered in recent times. In an attempt to reign in the spread of the virus, various measures have been undertaken by governments, agencies, as well as private entities from across the world. One of the most promising moves has been the development of the COVID-19 vaccine by a number of pharmaceutical entities. At present, vaccinations are ongoing in various parts of the world. It would, however, be important to note that efforts to combat the pandemic have in some instances been hampered by the hesitancy or outright refusal by some sections of the society to take the COVID-19 vaccine. This text largely concerns itself with refusal or hesitancy by African Americans about taking the COVID-19 vaccine.

Summary and Question

COVID-19 remains one of worst pandemics to have hit the world over the last few decades. Millions of people affected all over the world have been affected by the virus in one way or another. Most of those who are affected by COVID-19 are mostly minorities. With the development of the vaccines for COVID-19, there have been plenty of talk about a lot of the minority groups who are apprehensive about receiving the vaccine that would give them a good chance of protecting themselves from the Coronavirus. It is important to note, from the onset, that as Tuckson (2020) points out, most black people are extremely uncomfortable with receiving the Coronavirus vaccine. Basically, it all stems from the feeling of being medically neglected by the Caucasian doctors regarding their healthcare. Minorities feel as though healthcare for them is not a priority for White doctors and that they are often left on the back burner while whites are receiving superior care. Tuckerson (2020) further goes into explaining how several decades ago Dr. James Sims, who is also an award-winning Caucasian doctor, operated on black individuals without any anesthesia whatsoever. Pain medications were not used because black individuals are believed to be able to tolerate extremely high levels of pain, and do not need as much medicine as other racial groups.

With minorities believing that their health is not taken seriously by White doctors, their health takes a hit because they are unlikely to seek healthcare when unwell. Minority groups, mostly Black people, health tends to suffer the most because in addition to also being economically disadvantaged, trust also happens to be one of the building blocks of the relationship between health professionals and patients. With that being said, why would a minority individual want to go to the doctor and be subjected to unfair treatment? Tuckerson (2020) feels that in order to work towards convincing minorities to trust the Coronavirus vaccine, doctors need to work on building that trust. Further, minority groups health needs ought to be taken more seriously by white healthcare professionals. This is more so the case given that a change in perspectives about how the healthcare has treated them is what will take for Blacks to be more trusting of the Coronavirus vaccine.

Thus, regarding the very newly developed Coronavirus vaccine, in what ways have Caucasian Health Professionals lost the trust of African American individuals? Further, in what ways could trust be built in order...

Evens as far back as the 1800s, black slaves were experimented on without any form of anesthesia or standard of care that available at the time. J. Marion Sims, for example, experimented on individual black salves nearly 30 times without using the typical standard of care. According to research, Sims did not use any anesthesia and lowered his standard of care due to the prevailing belief that black people experience less pain than white people (Kelly, 2016).

The opposition often cites that the world has changed dramatically over the past two centuries. To a large extent, they are correct. Many of the past medical practices mentioned above have since been eliminated. However, the racial biases that African Americans still perceive persists. Unfair and unequitable treatment has been the norm throughout history and the overall community is not as trusting as they once were. African Americans often remember the litany of medical practices that have occurred over the last few centuries and are still wary of their implications for future treatments (Priest, 2020). As a result, many are reluctant to take the vaccine.

Conclusion

In the final analysis, it would be prudent to note that there are a myriad of factors that contribute towards the refusal or hesitancy by African Americans about taking the COVID-19 vaccine. One of the more prominent reasons that have been highlighted in this text has got to do with the mistrust that this particular section of the society has against the healthcare system owing to a series of historical injustices that have been committed by the said healthcare system or its representatives against members of the Black community. If we are to succeed in reigning in this pandemic, the concerns highlighted in this text must be highlighted and addressed. Further,…