JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The News4Jax I-TEAM has been analyzing COVID-19 vaccination data county by county, looking at the demographics of who is getting vaccinated, as Jacksonville city leaders pledge to make underserved communities a priority.
The analysis of COVID-19 vaccinations by race gives health officials insight into who is receiving the vaccine and whether or not some groups are experiencing disparities. Scientists say preventing widening racial health disparities will help to fight the virus at a faster rate.
As of Thursday, according to the Florida Department of Health, 84,915 total people in Duval County have been vaccinated with either their first shot or both shots. Of those who have received at least one dose, 55% are white, 12% are Black and 15% identify as another racial group. For 17%, race is unknown in the state data.
In St. Johns County, 35,257 total people have been vaccinated, of whom 65% are white, 2% are Black and 14% identify as another racial group. Race is unknown for 19%.
In Clay County, 15,071 have received the coronavirus vaccine, of whom 63% are white, 5% percent are Black and 16% identify as another racial group. Race is unknown for 17%.
And in Nassau County, 9,978 people have been vaccinated. Of those vaccine recipients, 74% are white, 4% are Black and 8% are another race. Data shows race is unknown for 14%.
Mary Mayhew, president and CEO of the Florida Hospital Association, hopes increased production levels of the vaccine will help disseminate the vaccine equally.
“The positive is that we have so many people who want to be vaccinated that we actually have a vaccine that was produced in record time. Now we need the production level for the current vaccines that are on the market to increase,” Mayhew said.
In Duval, St. Johns and Clay counties, the percentage of vaccinated individuals who are Black is roughly half of the percentage of each county’s Black population.