The COVID-19 Vaccine and the Black Community: Addressing the Justified Questions

Cato T Laurencin^{1

2

3

4

5

6

7}, Hannah Valantine^{8

9}, Clyde Yancy^{8

10

11}, Camara Phyllis Jones^{8

12

13

14

15}, Cedric Bright^{8

16}

Affiliations

¹ Connecticut Convergence Institute for Translation in Regenerative Engineering, University of Connecticut Health Center, 263 Farmington Avenue L7036, Farmington, CT, 06030, USA. laurencin@uchc.edu.
² Raymond and Beverly Sackler Center for Biomedical, Biological, Physical and Engineering Sciences, Farmington, CT, USA. laurencin@uchc.edu.
³ Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT, USA. laurencin@uchc.edu.
⁴ Department of Materials Science & Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA. laurencin@uchc.edu.
⁵ Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA. laurencin@uchc.edu.
⁶ Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA. laurencin@uchc.edu.
⁷ The National Academies Roundtable for Black Men and Black Women in Science, Engineering and Medicine, Washington, D.C., USA. laurencin@uchc.edu.
⁸ The National Academies Roundtable for Black Men and Black Women in Science, Engineering and Medicine, Washington, D.C., USA.
⁹ Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
¹⁰ Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, USA.
¹¹ Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, USA.
¹² Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
¹³ American Public Health Association, Washington, DC, USA.
¹⁴ Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
¹⁵ Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
¹⁶ Brody School of Medicine, Greenville, NC, USA.

PMID: 34143380
PMCID: PMC8212792
DOI: 10.1007/s40615-021-01082-9

The COVID-19 Vaccine and the Black Community: Addressing the Justified Questions

Cato T Laurencin et al. J Racial Ethn Health Disparities. 2021 Aug.

. 2021 Aug;8(4):809-820.

doi: 10.1007/s40615-021-01082-9. Epub 2021 Jun 18.

Authors

Cato T Laurencin^{1

2

3

4

5

6

7}, Hannah Valantine^{8

9}, Clyde Yancy^{8

10

11}, Camara Phyllis Jones^{8

12

13

14

15}, Cedric Bright^{8

16}

Affiliations

¹ Connecticut Convergence Institute for Translation in Regenerative Engineering, University of Connecticut Health Center, 263 Farmington Avenue L7036, Farmington, CT, 06030, USA. laurencin@uchc.edu.
² Raymond and Beverly Sackler Center for Biomedical, Biological, Physical and Engineering Sciences, Farmington, CT, USA. laurencin@uchc.edu.
³ Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT, USA. laurencin@uchc.edu.
⁴ Department of Materials Science & Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA. laurencin@uchc.edu.
⁵ Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA. laurencin@uchc.edu.
⁶ Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA. laurencin@uchc.edu.
⁷ The National Academies Roundtable for Black Men and Black Women in Science, Engineering and Medicine, Washington, D.C., USA. laurencin@uchc.edu.
⁸ The National Academies Roundtable for Black Men and Black Women in Science, Engineering and Medicine, Washington, D.C., USA.
⁹ Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
¹⁰ Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, USA.
¹¹ Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, USA.
¹² Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
¹³ American Public Health Association, Washington, DC, USA.
¹⁴ Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
¹⁵ Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
¹⁶ Brody School of Medicine, Greenville, NC, USA.

PMID: 34143380
PMCID: PMC8212792
DOI: 10.1007/s40615-021-01082-9

Abstract

Established in 2019, the Roundtable on Black Men and Black Women in STEM convenes a broad array of stakeholders that focus on the barriers and opportunities encountered by Black men and Black women as they navigate the pathways from K-12 and postsecondary education to careers in science, engineering, and medicine. Through meetings, public workshops, and publications, the Roundtable advances discussions that raise awareness and/or highlight promising practices for increasing the representation, retention, and inclusiveness of Black men and Black women in STEM. In keeping with the charge of the Roundtable, Roundtable leadership and leaders of the COVID-19 action group conducted an informational video in January 2021 to provide an in-depth discussion around common, justified questions in the Black community pertaining to the COVID-19 vaccine. The manuscript addresses selected questions and answers relating to the different types of COVID-19 vaccines and their development, administration, and effectiveness. Discussion focuses on addressing vaccine misconceptions, misinformation, mistrust, and hesitancy; challenges in prioritizing vaccinations in diverse populations and communities; dealing with racism in medicine and public health; optimizing communication and health education; and offering practical strategies and recommendations for improving vaccine acceptance by clinicians, health care workers, and the Black community. This manuscript summarizes the content in the YouTube video ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdEC9c48A_k ).

Keywords: Black; Community; Covid-19; Hesitancy; Roundtable; Vaccine.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

**Fig. 1**
Efficacy of the Pfizer vaccine (BNT162b2) against COVID-19 after the first dose. Data shown represents the cumulative incidence of COVID-19 after the first dose. Blue line represents individuals who received placebo. Red line indicates individuals that received the vaccine (BNT162b2) [5]

See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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1. Shapiro A. Early data shows striking racial disparities in who’s getting the COVID-19 vaccine. NPR. 2021. https://www.wemu.org/post/early-data-shows-striking-racial-disparities-w...
1. Romero L, Salzman S, Kaitlyn F. Kizzmekia Corbett, an African American woman, is praised as key scientist behind COVID-19 vaccine. ABC News. 2020. https://abcnews.go.com/Health/kizzmekia-corbett-african-american-woman-p...
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The COVID-19 Vaccine and the Black Community: Addressing the Justified Questions

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The COVID-19 Vaccine and the Black Community: Addressing the Justified Questions

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