The subject of vaccination ignites a fire of controversy, branding another line of division through the nation. Recorded history reflects a healthcare system failing to be inclusive; intentional gaps in resources for proper medical care have been wide enough to allow generations to fall through the cracks. COVID-19 illuminated the imbalance in health and medical resources among people of color. Black communities have suffered at a different rate and at polarizing levels than any other demographic.
The national medical infrastructure has an unprecedented record of working against the benefit of the collective community. Due to the fatality of the virus, California Surgeon General Dr. Nadine Burke, lobbies for further research and investigation to be the deciding factor behind choosing the vaccine; this can be done without bias influence.
There is no way around the wound of injustice that continued to bleed into this year. The County of Los Angeles Public Health Department confirmed COVID-19 related death rates were higher in the Black community, due to the long-lasting impression of institutional racism within healthcare.
The resources for preventative care have not been distributed equally; therefore, the collective community in Los Angeles held the highest rate of preexisting health issues, such as diabetes and severe heart conditions. This led to a larger risk of death once coronavirus was contracted. However, the collective community is being “strongly advised” to support a solution from the system that failed them in a heightened state of emergency.
As previously noted, the Director of Los Angeles County Public Health Barbara Ferrer, presented the data confirming racism living in the County healthcare system earlier in June. She stated, “The root cause of health inequalities, is racism and discrimination …” Ferrer continued, “ … it limits access to the very opportunities and resources each of us needs for optimal health and well-being.”
Ferrer confirmed the lifetime of stress associated with being Black in America contributes to their health conditions. The strain on the collective culture starts at birth. She conceded that her statistical reports reflect long-standing inequity. The stress begins when one leaves the womb, and then the outside world confirms the generational relay of mental and physical health imbalance being passed down.
With a history of reduced medical resources in underrepresented communities, the approach of the vaccination is wrong. Before “insisting” on new medical procedures, a level of deep concern for the pandemic of racism in the healthcare system is needed; it’s the root cause for Black people dying at a higher rate from COVID-19. There is a call for unbiased information in a humbled setting, due to the previous damage still hemorrhaging.
Presently, there has been “strong encouragement” for the newly developed vaccination. Countless articles picked up on the scent of apprehension, that’s wafting through underrepresented communities. The strong disposition is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as they project their unawareness of the experience in the collective community.
There are parts on their official website that dismisses the process that Black people have to go through; having to put aside layers of social inequity, to move forward to a decision, and allow a foreign solution to enter the bloodstream of their body.
The CDC provided a tab on their website labeled, “Making a Strong Recommendation for COVID-19 Vaccination,” It gives a step-by-step tutorial for physicians, to have a conversation in favor of the vaccine. Discussions that favored one perception has not proved to work for the benefit of all communities.
What message is the “national public health institute” portraying as they supply sworn-in medical personnel with a skewed perception of the safety and health of all their clients?
The first step listed on the tab is to express empathy, however, the subdivision layout in favor of the vaccination already shows the lack of empathy on a national scale.
Its very existence on a website for a national health institution is insult to injury, there would be no need for strong recommendation if there were a pristine record of health care benefiting all communities.
With the hurt addressed, there is an undeniable fact that must be considered, Black people are dying at an uncontrollable rate due to COVID-19, and there is a possible solution worth further investigation. Also provided by the CDC, is the workings of the vaccination.
The mRNA vaccines are protein-based materials that trigger the immune system to respond, attack, and prepare for the real fight against coronavirus, by building immunity to SARS-CoV-2. Known as a “spiked protein,” the materials make their way, covered in a special coating, to deliver instructions to the body’s defense system on how to fight COVID-19 as soon as it is detected.
Important facts that were highlighted include, “the mRNA strand never enters the cell’s nucleus,” in response to alleged allegations of the spiked protein altering one’s genetic makeup.
The body’s defense system on a microscopic level consists of T-cells, that look to fight infection. The instruction administered by the material found in the spiked protein, provides the strategy needed to win the battle against coronavirus if it is contracted.
The vaccine has been authorized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These vaccinations are not considered “live,” meaning they hold no trace of the actual virus. Another detail to consider is depending on what type of vaccine one receives, there is a chance for a second shot 3-4 weeks after the initial procedure. The CDC says it’s for “the most protection the vaccine has to offer against this serious disease.”
California State Governor, Gavin Newsom, appointed an influential voice to assist with delivering information surrounding health in all communities. California Surgeon General, Dr. Burke of pediatric study has been in the field of health and faced the severity of this medical issue firsthand. She did not deny the history compiled against the trust of the healthcare system, but there was an urge for more attention to a viable solution.
It was agreed upon to do more research, to be open to the facts that sit before the collective community. Although there is evidence that warrants scrutiny, there is also a virus that is killing thousands, and feasting on the gaps of social inequity. Through the stress of just living as a person of color, the value of life and how it could be preserved takes priority.
