This week, the City released alarming data showing the stark inequality in the city's COVID-19 vaccination rollout, which has left communities hardest-hit by the pandemic with the least vaccinated residents.
The data, released Tuesday, shows the percentage of residents that have received at least one vaccination shot and the number of those fully vaccinated by ZIP code. What it makes clear is rates of vaccination in lower-income, predominantly Black and Brown neighborhoods are drastically lower than those in wealthier, whiter neighborhoods.
In East New York ZIP codes 11207 and 11208 and Bed-Stuy's 11233, 3% of residents have had one vaccination and 2% are fully vaccinated. In the Upper East Side's 10075 ZIP code, 10% of residents have received their first vaccine and 17% are fully vaccinated.
The disparity in vaccination rates exists despite the fact Central and East Brooklyn neighborhoods, including Bed-Stuy and East New York, are amongst the 33 hard-hit neighborhoods being targeted by the City to ensure vaccination distribution.
Overall, the data showed Brooklyn has the lowest vaccination rate across the five boroughs. Although it did not classify those vaccinated by race or specify how many people in each ZIP code were eligible to be vaccinated, data released by the governor Tuesday showed white people were getting vaccinated at a higher rate than expected based on their population size.
In New York City, 58% of those vaccinated were white and 14.4% Black; this is despite white people making up 52% of the eligible population and Black people comprising 30%.
A new vaccination site is opening at Teachers Preparatory High School in Brownsville to address the issue, and it will be open six days a week. The site will give priority to local residents and home health aides.
"This is about addressing inequality, doing something very tangible about it," Mayor Bill de Blasio said.
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