By Ashley Moss
Staff Writer
Ahead of the emergency meeting with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on December 8th about the COVID-19 vaccine, Mayor Eric Johnson sent a letter to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices asking for the booster to be made available to some of the hardest hit populations in Dallas—communities of color.
According to the United States Census Bureau’s 2018 estimates, Blacks and Hispanics make up more than 65 percent of the city’s population’s 1.4 million people. The DFW region currently accounts for about 25 percent of all COVID-19 cases in Texas. The mayor cited the higher rates of infection, a lack of access to quality healthcare and a greater prevalence of high-risk health factors among Blacks and Hispanics to back his recommendation.
“It is my sincere hope that, after healthcare workers, first responders, and the most vulnerable, you will consider making it a priority to deliver the vaccine to minority populations that have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19,” said Mayor Johnson in his letter to the Chairman. “Many of our essential workers are also people of color, which likely helps drive the higher infection rates among Black and Hispanic families,” he added.
