DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) – A vaccine can’t work if people refuse to take it.
Even though COVID-19 is nearly three times as deadly in Black communities, there is skepticism about being vaccinated. Health officials are tasked to undo decades of doubt and suspicion.
During the summer of 2020, Ada Owens caught COVID-19. This was something that surprised her when she learned of her results.
Fortunately, she’s doing well now, but deep down, Owens is worried. COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted Black communities and it shows in central Illinois.
In Macon and Champaign counties combined, Black people make up 31% of the population. However, they account for 34% of the COVID-19 cases in those counties. That alone is more of reason for Owens to take the vaccine.
“As soon as I can,” Owens added.
Owens would be part of the few who would take the vaccine. In a recent survey by Langer Research Association, 14% of Black Americans trust that a vaccine will be safe. Minnie Pearson of the NAACP in Champaign said Black people want to trust the science.
But the hesitation to take a vaccine comes from years of broken trust. She said “our health care system historically failed us.”
Many will attribute the “Tuskegee Syphilis Study” as to why they don’t trust vaccine safety. From 1932-1972, the Public Health Service studied hundreds of Black men with syphilis. In exchange for the study, the men were offered free medical exams, meals and burial insurance. In truth, they were never given the proper treatment for the disease. Researchers never explained to them the purpose of the study.
Pearson said health care institutions need to acknowledge and empathize why Black Americans are hesitant.
“We want to make sure people are listening to us,” Pearson said. “For so long, people do not listen. They tell us, but they don’t hear (what) we’re saying back to them.”
Mitch Rogers, a registered nurse in the Memorial Health System, is listening. He said the fears people of color have are real “and they’re based off fact, not fiction.”
Rogers said reestablishing a connection with the Black community will take time. That involves health officials hosting town halls showcasing representation. Black nurses and doctors can help.
“Having people that represent the community to be providers for health care givers, I think it’s paramount in providing that gap or that in building trust,” Rogers said.
Rogers already took the vaccine. He told WAND News he’s feeling fine and said it was like getting a flu shot. Rogers didn’t have to get the shot, but he wanted to lead by example.
“This virus does not discriminate and I’ve seen it from the very onset until the very end,” Rogers explained. “Take the vaccine. Help out your fellow brother, your fellow sister. Be proactive in stopping COVID-19.”
This is something Ada Owens agrees on. She said if she doesn’t take the vaccine, she’ll run the risk of infecting people if she catches COVID-19 again.
Having these type of conversations won’t change people’s minds overnight, but it can be the catalyst to earning their trust again.
