COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in Delaware’s Underserved Communities

Abstract

Background and Objective: Vaccine hesitancy may be one of the greatest challenges to conquering the COVID-19 pandemic. Underserved communities across the U.S. have been suffering from the pandemic in unique ways, and vaccine hesitancy may exacerbate or prolong these issues. However, the prevalence of vaccine uptake and hesitancy in these vulnerable populations is unknown. The present study aimed to investigate: (1) prevalence of COVID vaccine uptake and COVID vaccine hesitancy in Delaware's underserved communities; (2) factors (i.e., demographic, socioeconomic characteristics, as well as COVID-related behaviors) associated with vaccine hesitancy; and (3) specific concerns about COVID vaccines. Materials and Methods: Data were extracted from a survey conducted in Delaware's underserved communities from March 4, 2021 to May 25, 2021. Logistic regression analyses were used to assess factors associated with vaccine hesitancy. Results: Results from our survey indicated that vaccine uptake is lower in Delaware's underserved communities than Delaware overall and the national average. In addition, a considerable proportion of participants were categorized as vaccine hesitant. We also found that being black increased the likelihood of vaccine hesitancy for the COVID-19 vaccine, which is consistent with prior studies on vaccine hesitancy. Results also indicated that having been tested for COVID in the past decreased the odds of vaccine hesitancy. However, we did not find that demographic or socioeconomic characteristics played a role in vaccine hesitancy in Delaware's underserved communities. Conclusion and Relevance: Our study represents a critial first step in understanding the determinants driving COVID vaccine uptake and hesitancy. Identifying key factors and causes for vaccine hesitancy may help in establishing novel strategies that counteract low vaccination rates in underserved communities.

Multilevel determinants of Covid-19 vaccine hesitancy and undervaccination among marginalized populations in the United States: A scoping review

“…Eleven articles focused exclusively on Covid-19 vaccination among Black/African Americans [26,56,59,69,74,75,77,81,85,89,90], and 19 additional articles provided disaggregated data—a total of 30 sources [46-48,49,51-53,55,60,65-68,70,73,82,84,86,92]. At the structural level, 27 sources addressed the negative impacts of medical mistrust and distrust of government on Covid-19 vaccination among Black and African Americans [26,46-49,51-53,55,59,65-70,73-75,77,81,82,84-86,89,92].…”

COVID-19 testing in Delaware’s underserved communities: demographic and social determinants of testing inequality

“…Importantly, the proportion of vaccine hesitant respondents in our survey might be higher than that observed in other areas. As noted earlier, many of the participants in our study live in underserved neighborhoods with low average income and educational level, and these socioeconomic characteristics might contribute to vaccine hesitancy [ 18 ]. In addition, 40% of our participants met the FCV-19S cutoff score, suggesting substantial fear of COVID-19 and higher likelihood of stress/anxiety symptoms.…”

“…People who are willing to get vaccinated for COVID might also display greater confidence in public health measures and preventative strategies, thus making them also more likely to have been tested for COVID. For example, Wang and colleagues found that in Delaware’s underserved communities, those who have been tested for COVID were also more likely to receive COVID vaccines [ 18 ]. Lastly, in the current study, we found that essential workers have higher odds of having been tested for COVID than non-essential workers.…”

Dispelling COVID-19 Myths:

“…Numerous studies report vaccination rates in Blacks that are below the rates of White people. 10 For example, a Kaiser Health News report reveals that Black Americans were vaccinated at rates 2 to 3 times lower than White Americans in January of 2021. 11 However, this and other studies with similar findings require "deep dive" questions reflecting the social and structural determinants of health on which the health inequalities that were so prevalent in Black communities before and during the pandemic are necessary.…”