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California rolls out vaccine program to promote equity
The state has rolled out an equity program to communities with the lowest percentage of vaccinated residents.
LOS ANGELES - The South Los Angeles neighborhoods of Vermont Vista and University Park have the lowest percentage of vaccinated residents, each with about 6%, while the wealthier, whiter Westside neighborhoods of Cheviot Hills, Mandeville Canyon and Bel Air have the most, with over 34%, according to a map released Thursday by Los Angeles Controller Ron Galperin.
"We are at a critical moment in our fight against COVID-19 countywide," Galperin said. "Getting our most vulnerable and impacted communities vaccinated as quickly as possible must be our top priority to ensure equity and keep new cases and deaths as low as possible."
Los Angeles Controller releases map highlighting neighborhood vaccination disparity (LAController.org)
"This dashboard can help communities better understand whether the vaccine is getting out to neighborhoods hardest hit by the virus and identify infection hot spots. From what we've seen so far, it's clear that people of. color in economically disadvantaged communities who have borne the brunt of the pandemic need greater access to the vaccine."
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The data gathered from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health also shows a disproportionately low number of African American and Latino Angelenos getting vaccinated. While Latinos make up nearly 50% of the county's population, they account for just 28% of first-dose vaccinations; and while Blacks represent 8% of the county's population, they account for 5.5% of first doses.
White residents' vaccination rate is overrepresented, with 31% of vaccines being administered to whites, who are just 26% of the county's population.
Galperin's COVID-19 map and dashboard also shows L.A. County vaccinations by gender, with men representing 36.9% of vaccinated residents and women representing 62.9%.
The data also identified hotspot communities with the highest number of infections over the past two weeks, including Santa Clarita, with 216 new cases; Glendale, with 125 new cases; Palmdale, with 121 new cases; Lancaster, with 115 new cases; and North Hollywood, with 109 new cases.
People can explore the data on Galperin's dashboard online.
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