Black Community and Health Frontline Sound the Alarm Once Again on Vaccination Data in the Black Population

Health Equity leaders say the vaccine rate is below the general population

and cause for real concern

August 24, 2021 (Toronto, ON) - While politicians debate the need for a vaccine passport and mandated vaccination for certain sectors, Dr. David Burt, an Immunologist on Toronto’s Black Scientists’ Task Force on Vaccine Equity and eight prominent Black organizations are concerned that the Black community has hit a wall when it comes to getting fully vaccinated. “In some of Toronto’s communities with the highest Black populations, the data shows that just under half of adults are fully vaccinated,” explains Dr. Burt, who is also concerned that the health and socio-economic harms families face are inestimable. “Right now, most of the hospitalized are unvaccinated or persons who have received their first doses. The data suggests that Black Torontonians - especially those in the northwest - face incredible risks.” The eight frontline Black community organizations that support this sounding of the alarm are:

 

  • Black Creek Community Health Centre

  • Black Scientists’ Taskforce on Vaccine Equity

  • Black Physicians Association of Ontario (BPAO)

  • Canadian Black Clergy and Allies (CBCA)

  • Canadian Black Nurses Network

  • The Black Health Alliance

  • The Jamaican Canadian Association (JCA)

  • TAIBU Community Health Centre

 

As of July 31st, Toronto’s neighbourhoods where less then 50% of residents are fully vaccinated, have higher proportions of Black residents.  The Black population of Toronto, about 9% of the city and between 20 and 30% of these under-vaccinated postal codes, is more likely to be overexposed to COVID-19 than their white peers.  The white population is 48%, with more than 70% of Toronto adults fully vaccinated. Therefore, the differential is at least 20% between Black sub-populations and the wider society. Dr. Burt says a number of factors are at play with respect to the slow down of vaccinations within the Black community: 

 

  • Still experiencing racism in health care: rational mistrust given recent discriminatory experiences

  • Wait and See Attitude: remaining skeptical about the safety of the vaccine due to the emergency authorization and novel mRNA approach

  • Social Media Vaccine Misinformation: more sophisticated messaging being spread mainly through WhatsApp/Facebook

 

"The Black Physicians Association of Ontario has been successful in working with multiple community partners to provide thousands of vaccines to Black and racialized communities this summer,” points out Dr. Onye Nnorom, President Black Physicians' Association of Ontario.

 

“But building trust takes time and resources. Unfortunately, we continue to experience systemic barriers in fully addressing community needs; we use a holistic approach, but the infrastructure support we need to fully engage our community has been insufficient. As doctors, we see the 'Delta variant' patterns and we are deeply concerned." 

 

The stark vaccination gaps belie the considerable efforts by these community partners and the City of Toronto to get vulnerable community members vaccinated (from pop-up clinics to transportation support). Through such efforts COVID-19 positivity disparities have been significantly reduced from 2020 highs of 30% of COVID positivity and vaccination numbers have been inching upward. Starting in February of this year, Toronto’s Black Scientists’ Task Force held 25 weekly town hall sessions which were successful in educating community members about vaccines and effectively reduced hesitancy and mistrust.  However, attendance has dropped significantly in recent weeks at both town halls and clinics and there is renewed concern that the message is not getting through to a large and vulnerable segment of the community. 

 

In addition, Toronto’s Black Scientists on Vaccine Equity Report, released in June, found that two critical issues severely impacted Black workers - their limited access to paid sick days and the inability to work from home. It also revealed that current race-based data on vaccination uptake indicates that the greater the proportion of Black residents in an area, the more likely one will encounter the highest rates of average cumulative incidence (new cases of COVID-19) and the lowest rates of vaccination coverage. 

 

Dr. David Burt, member of the Black Scientists’ Task Force on Vaccine Equity is available for Television, Radio and Print interviews. 

 

Media Contact: 

Fennella Bruce | FKB Media Solutions | 647.290.7610 | fennella@fkbmedia.com

 

Dr. David Burt is an Immunologist with more than 30 years of international experience in the research and development of vaccines against infectious diseases, including influenza and SARS. He holds a Ph.D. in Immunology from the University of Birmingham and a Bachelor of Science in Biological Chemistry from Essex University.  He is an award winning author with over 40 published peer-reviewed scientific manuscripts and is a Harry Jerome Award recipient, amongst other Canadian and international awards.  Dr. Burt is currently a member of the Review Panel of the Genomic Applications Partnership Program (GAPP) of Ontario Genomics and a consultant for a company developing a Canadian government supported intranasal vaccine for COVID-19 using technology that he previously developed.


The Black Scientists’ Task Force on Vaccine Equity was created to build community awareness of the disparities in COVID-19 positivity, hospitalization, and mortality rates, as well as the need for comprehensive prevention efforts, including knowledge of the various vaccines. Its ultimate aim has been to promote the health and well-being of Black Canadians in Toronto through the pandemic, and to harness trusted community partners, health and medical professionals and academics to deliver fundamentals of vaccine development and immunization essentials.

Fennella Bruce