Framingham, Milford wonder if they’ll receive extra supplies of COVID-19 vaccine – MetroWest Daily News

In a week when the first COVID-19 vaccinations were administered in Massachusetts to front-line health care workers, there are questions over how the state plans to distribute extra doses of the vaccine to communities of color that have been battered by the pandemic.

Framingham and Milford are among those communities, as each has a sizable minority populationthat isexperiencing skyrocketing COVID-19 infection rates.

Last week, Gov. Charlie Bakers COVID-19 Vaccine Advisory Group announced plans for vaccine distribution, including an extra 20% supply to communities that suffered a disproportionate impact during the pandemic.

But there are questions about thatextra supply, including how will it be calculated and who will get it.

Sam Wong, Framinghams director of public health, has those questions.

While Wong praised the state for taking a stance on vaccine equity, he is unclear about what it will do for Framingham. The city has been classified as a"red" zone for months, the color suggesting the highest risk for COVID-19 in a spectrum developed by state public health officials.

Framingham will likely see extra doses, according Dr. Paul Biddinger, chairman of the states COVID-19 Vaccine Advisory Group, because it's one of 23 "Stop the Spread" communities. The state designated these communities to gettest sites that administer vaccines for free, because they're experiencing the highest infection rates. Marlborough is also a Stop the Spread community.

All 23 communities are "very likely" to see some level of extra vaccine, Biddinger said.

Milford, however, is not a Stop the Spread community, despite it sitting in the red zone for several weeks.

As of Tuesday, 27% of Milfords total positive COVID-19 cases to date (417 of 1,521) are classified as Hispanic/Latinx/Spanish origin. Milford Public Health Director Jacqueline Murphy cautioned that her departments data is incomplete.

Arrival of the extra doses should come duringthe second and third phases of the states vaccine distribution plan, Biddinger said.

The state is currently in Phase 1, which includes clinical and non-clinical health care workers who deal directly with COVID-19 patients;long-term care facilities;rest homes and assisted-living facilities; police, fire and emergency medical services; congregate care settings, including homeless shelters and correctional facilities; home-based health care workers; and health care workers providing indirect care to COVID-19 patients.

Phase 2 is expected to start in February. Thatgroup includes individuals with two or morecomorbidities who face ahigh risk for COVID-19 complications; early education, K-12, transit, grocery, utility, food and agriculture, sanitation, public works and public health workers; adults 65 years of age and older; and individuals with one comorbidity.

Phase 3, when vaccines are available to the general public, is expected to start in April.

Biddinger acknowledged the hardest part is how to put the extra-vaccine plan into action.

Officials will start by looking at two measurements.

One is the Social Vulnerability Index established by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The index uses U.S. Census data to measure a community's social vulnerability. Data points include poverty, access to transportationand housing conditions.

The other measurement is the prevalence of COVID-19.

Biddinger explained there will be an analysis of locations that generally administer vaccines in a community, including hospitals, community health centers, medical practices, pharmacies and public-health clinics.

The state will know how many vaccinations those locations are administering and who is getting them, because federal law requires institutions to file the information. Datawill be loaded into the Massachusetts Immunization Information System, providing real-time informationthat shows which institutions in the hardest-hit communities are most effective at vaccinating residents. Those doing the best job will likely receive extra doses, Biddinger said.

Mistrustof the vaccine could curtail the states inoculation efforts, especially in communities of color.

Some in Framinghams Brazilian community arent ready to take a vaccine.

The Brazilian community is divided, said Liliane Costa, executive director at the Brazilian American Center in downtown Framingham. Some people are a little afraid of the long-term effects (of the vaccine), but I also talk to people who are ready to get vaccinated.

A recent poll of 800 residents by MassInc Polling Group in Boston bears out the feelings of mistrust in minority communities. It shows major differences in who plans to be first in line when vaccines are available.

White, college-educated respondents are near the top of the spectrum 67%said they would take a vaccine as soon as possible. The rate dropped to 48% for college-educated black respondents and 45% for Latino residents with college degrees. The lowest mark on the spectrum 38% was associated with Latinos who do not hold a college degree.

According to the poll, the top two reasons why people said they didn't trust the vaccine were that it hasnt been thoroughly tested (65%) and an overall lack of trust in the government on health care issues (61%).

There is a taint of race in the health care system, said Michael Curry,a member of the states COVID-19 Vaccine Advisory Group and incoming chief executive officer of the Mass League of Community Health Centers.He addressed the mistrust of vaccines during a virtual discussion hosted by the Boston Museum of Science entitled, Race to the Vaccine Exploring Public Confidence in a COVID Vaccination.

Curry cited historical examples of unjust treatment in the African-American community to explain its mistrust of vaccines in general, including medical experimentation on slaves; the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, which was conducted over 40 years (1932-72) without the patients informed consent; and an absence of blacks in clinical trials that results in a failureto provide data addressingillnesses in black communities.

Anti-immigration policies that hurt black and brown communities also diminish trust in the health care system, Curry noted.

To combat mistrust, Curry said there needs to be direct messaging to communities of color that speaks to the science, data and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines.

Its all about the messaging, he said. We have to answer questions while acknowledging the past.

The Brazilian American Center is getting the message out on the benefits of COVID-19 vaccines. The nonprofit offers a range of services to Brazilian immigrants, and is using its website to educate clients about the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination. Its also using its online radio station Scalabrini Internet Radio to spread positive messages about vaccination.

Were trying everything we can, but its not easy since were not seeing people in person because of the pandemic, Costa said.

The Framingham Department of Public Health is partnering with the Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center and physicians groups to deliver messages about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines and the importance of taking them.

Wong stressed that language barriers are not the reason for disproportionate COVID-19 suffering in minority communities.

Its more about inequities that existed before the pandemic. Wong ticked off several of them Black and Latinx residents generally have lower median household incomes, have less access to quality health care,and work in essential jobs that offer limited opportunities to work from home or remotely, which exposes them to increased risk of contracting COVID-19. Also, many Brazilian and Latinxfamilies live in multigenerational households, which can spread the virus if someone becomes infected.

All those reasons give a much higher risk for contracting disease, Wong said. Its more a pandemic of existing inequities and poverty than race or ethnicity.

The latest demographic information from Wongs department shows a wide gap between COVID-19 infectionsand deathswhen comparing white and minority communities in Framingham.

Hispanics represent 20% of the citys population, but have experienced42% of its COVID-19 cases. By comparison, non-Hispanic whites represent 60% of the citys population, but only 25% of COVID-19 cases.

The highest death rates of positive cases are among Hispanic, non-Hispanic Black/African and non-Hispanics other, all of which are more than double the death rates for non-Hispanic white and non-Hispanic Asian.

The Department of Public Health noted the disparity between whites and non-white populations would even be higher except many residents of Brazilian descent describe themselves as white.

COVID-19 has rocked Saint Mary of the Assumption Roman Catholic Church in Milford.

Weve been struggling with (COVID-19) for a long time, said the Rev.Peter Joyce, the churchs pastor.

About one-third of the churchs parishioners are from Latin-American countries, and Joyce said COVID-19 is a problem for many of them. It swept through their homes after relatives visiting from New York and New Jersey unknowingly had COVID-19.

Were all in this together, Joyce said, noting thechurch community will do whatever it takes to support those struggling in the pandemic.

Costa, of the Brazilian American Center, believes the centers older clients are ready to get the COVID-19 vaccine. But she worries about younger clients those in their 20s who are concerned about its long-term effects.

We have to work more on that. Talk more and convince them to take the vaccine, she said.

Ultimately, Costa sounded a hopeful tone.

I think in the end, everyone will get the vaccine.

Henry Schwan is the health reporter for the Daily News. Follow Henry on Twitter @henrymetrowest. He can be reached at hschwan@wickedlocal.com or 508-626-3964.

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Framingham, Milford wonder if they'll receive extra supplies of COVID-19 vaccine - MetroWest Daily News