Congressman Brown: "It's Not Credible For The Hogan Administration To Blame Low Minority Vaccination Rates Solely On Vaccine Hesitancy"
Press Release
Congressman Anthony G. Brown (MD-04) released the following statement regarding Maryland's slow and inequitable rollout of vaccines. Today, the Baltimore City Senate delegation sent a letter to Governor Hogan urging action to address racial equity issues in the state's vaccination program. A Becker's Hospital Review study of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data showed Maryland ranked 48th in the nation based on percent of distributed vaccines administered.
In an interview with 60 Minutes, Montgomery County's Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Travis Gayles, stressed that the low proportion of Black, brown and low income Marylanders cannot be solely attributed to vaccine hesitancy, but rather persistent health care disparities and inequitable distribution. 80,000 people in Phase 1 are currently on the waitlist in Prince George's County -- Maryland's largest majority-Black jurisdiction. Prince George's County receives 185 vaccine doses per 10,000 residents, while Cecil County receives 350 vaccine doses per 10,000 residents:
"Governor Hogan wants to blame people for not getting the vaccine, but under his watch Maryland has the second lowest administration rate in the country, long waitlists and a chaotic sign up process," said Congressman Anthony Brown. "The failure to clearly communicate vaccine availability and effectively distribute doses to high-risk populations, will ultimately harm communities of color and underserved populations most. It's not credible for the Hogan Administration to blame low minority vaccination rates solely on vaccine hesitancy. This is clearly a systemic failure. The current strategy is not working. For the health of Marylanders, it's time to change course."
Since President Biden took office, the number of doses being sent to states has increased by 28 percent to 11 million doses a week. The Biden-Harris administration is now shipping doses directly to community health centers that target low-income people and people of color. The approval of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will expand vaccine supplies further.
As part of the American Rescue Plan, the House of Representatives passed more than $27 billion for vaccine production and distribution.
Source