Barragán and Colleagues Ask California and L.A. County to Provide Zip Code, Race/Ethnicity, Age & Occupation Data for Vaccine Rollout

Press Release

Today, in an effort to increase equity in the distribution of COVID vaccines, Congresswoman Nanette Diaz Barragán and five colleagues in the Los Angeles congressional delegation asked for state and county data on the zip codes, race/ethnicity, age, and occupation of those who have received the vaccine during the initial phases of the rollout.

Congresswoman Barragán was joined by Congressmembers Karen Bass, Ted Lieu, Alan Lowenthal, Judy Chu and Grace F. Napolitano on a letter to California Health & Human Services Secretary Mark Ghaly and L.A. County Department of Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer.

In the letter delivered today, Barragán, Bass, Lieu, Lowenthal, Chu and Napolitano wrote, "While our hardworking healthcare professionals stand ready to help vaccinate our community, we encourage you to develop a plan to ensure that our most susceptible populations become a priority. Even over the short time period that adults 65 and over have become eligible for the vaccine, we are concerned to already see enormous disparities, trending along racial lines, on who is receiving these limited vaccine appointments. …

"Given Governor Newsom's expressed intent to amplify the rate of vaccinations statewide and L.A. County's initial intent to distribute vaccinations to the most impacted zip codes, we are respectfully requesting data to reflect these intentions. We would like to request data from your agencies which will include but not be limited to race/ethnicity, age, and occupation of those who have received the vaccine during the initial phases of the rollout."

Barragán had previously written letters on vaccine equity to President Joe Biden and Governor Gavin Newsom.

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