Correlates of COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake in Black Adults Residing in Allegheny County, PA.

Introduction: Efforts to address vaccine uptake and access among black adults will be relevant for continued coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) eradication efforts and can be transferable to other prevention efforts in future pandemics. This study investigated factors related to COVID-19 vaccine uptake and access among black residents in Allegheny County, PA. Methods: Surveys were administered electronically from October 2021 to January 2022 to black Allegheny County residents aged 18 and older. Questions included thoughts on COVID mitigation strategies (e.g., masking, social distancing), vaccination status, intention to vaccinate children, trust of COVID-19 information sources and vaccines, family needs, access to support services, and social media use to access information. Descriptive statistics and significant correlates of being vaccinated using adjusted logistic regression models are reported. Results: Of the overall sample (N=397), the majority were fully vaccinated (n=306, 77%). Fully vaccinated participants were more likely to be female (62.5%, p=0.010), age 60 years or older (34.3%, p=0.0002), have some college education (23.2%, p<0.0001), and be employed full time (50.0%, p=0.0001) compared with nonvaccinated individuals. Among the unvaccinated participants (n=91), the primary reason was fear of illness (8.9%), long-term effects (6.5%), mistrust in the vaccine (6.3%), and needing more information (4.5%). Vaccine-hesitant participants were more likely to be unvaccinated (adjusted odds ratio=2.3, 95% confidence interval 1.25-4.14) after adjusting for age, education, employment, insurance, health status, and income. Conclusion: Vaccine hesitancy may be improved by directly addressing fear of illness resulting from vaccines and improving clarity in the vaccine development and approval process to improve uptake among black adults.

An Equity Response to COVID-19 in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania: The Development and Work of the Black Equity Coalition.

From the onset of the pandemic in the United States, racial disparities in COVID-19 outcomes have been evident. In April 2020, several events prompted a concerned group of colleagues to form the Black Equity Coalition (BEC), a Black-led coalition in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, which brings together professionals from multiple sectors who aim to ensure an equitable response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Several significant milestones have been achieved, and this article describes the development, functioning, and outcomes of the Coalition in the first 15 months of operation (April 2020-June 2021). COVID-19 was the reason for such an unprecedented effort, but this BEC infrastructure will be needed long after COVID-19 is controlled. In addition to short-term activities and reactive measures to prevent and mitigate COVID-19 in Black populations, the BEC is serving as a crucial link between government, health care stakeholders, and communities to produce long-term systemic change.