Health disparities have impacted Latinos for many years. Worse, the COVID-19 pandemic only worsened these inequities. Still, these issues have gained national attention, and, hopefully, spur action, change. Recently, experts from the National Institutes of Health and UT Health San Antonio joined our Salud Talks podcast to discuss the COVID-19, health inequities, and the struggles Latinos face in the US today. Listen to the Salud Talks Podcast, Salud Talks Podcast, Episode 37: “COVID-19 and Health Disparities Impacting Latinos,” as we dive into the health inequities affecting Latinos during the pandemic with two celebrated medical experts! listen! WHAT: A #SaludTalks discussion about the COVID-19, historic health disparities, and how these factors have impacted the ...
Pregnant Latinas have some of the lowest vaccination rates against COVID-19 compared to other ethnic/racial groups, according to a report from the CDC. The disparity is likely due to less culturally competent and accessible healthcare in communities of color, as well as vaccine misinformation about fertility and pregnancy. The CDC encourages all people who are eligible to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and that pregnancy should not be a barrier. “COVID-19 vaccination is recommended for all people 12 years and older, including people who are pregnant, breastfeeding, trying to get pregnant now, or might become pregnant in the future,” according to the CDC’s website. With more culturally relevant resources regarding vaccine safety for fertility and pregnancy, vaccine ...
Combat COVID is a federal education initiative to share bilingual information and tips about vaccines, potential treatments, and clinical trials for COVID-19. A clinical trial is a research study to find a new treatment or achieve a better understand a disease. In the case of COVID-19, which has overly burdened Latinos and Blacks, clinical trials need more participants of color to ensure that COVID-19 treatments are effective for everyone. "Clinical trials are at the heart of many medical discoveries," according to the team at Combat COVID, run by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. "[Trials] are the key to protecting our communities now and in the future." Let's take a look at the work Combat COVID is doing.
Promoting Clinical Trails for COVID-19
Combat COVID ...
The COVID-19 vaccination gap continues among Latinos. In fact, most people who have received at least one dose of the vaccine were White (58%), while only 17% were Latino. State-level data show that Latinos are vaccinated at a much lower rate, even as they face heavier case and death burdens from the disease. This makes it critical to find innovative ways to reach Latinos to get vaccinated. “One of the main reasons for inequities in vaccination rates by race and ethnicity is the significant misinformation about vaccines and lack of health education,” writes Dr. Jay Bhatt, an internal medicine physician and an instructor at the University of Illinois School of Public Health, in a recent op-ed. “Through targeted outreach, one-on-one conversations and concerted efforts ...
As the American people still grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, medical experts are now in the process of distributing a booster shot, which many say can help. The booster shot is critical in making headway with bringing the pandemic to an end, according to Dr. Anthony Faucci, the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the Chief Medical Advisor to the President. "I’ve made it clear that my opinion has always been that I believe that a third-shot booster for a two-dose mRNA [vaccine] should ultimately and will ultimately be the proper, complete regimen," he said in a recent interview with The Atlantic. "The vaccine is very successful. The durability of it is something that’s a subject of considerable discussion and sometimes debate." As the ...
During COVID-19, many people were laid off or faced reduced work. Latinas suffered the biggest drop in workforce size of any demographic group, according to UCLA Latino Police and Politics Initiative (UCLA LPPI), a Latino-focused think tank. This could have a long-lasting impact on Latina wellbeing, labor shortages, and economic recovery overall, said Sonja Diaz, the founding director of UCLA LPPI. “Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic really created a ripple effect of economic disruption in particular on communities by race, and then again, by gender,” Diaz told ABC News. “The real story here is the fact that Latinas have left the labor market, which is akin to dropping out of college. It’s really hard to get those individuals back in, and [have] a pathway towards ...
Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, director of Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio, is featured in a COVID-19 vaccine confidence-building communication campaign from the Ad Council and COVID Collaborative. The campaign, "It’s Up to You," aims to reach people of different backgrounds. The campaign includes communication materials in English and Spanish, including four videos from Ramirez: Is the COVID-19 vaccine safe and does it have any side effects?
¿Qué efectos secundarios puedo esperar si recibo la vacuna COVID-19?
Why is the COVID-19 vaccine important?
¿Por qué es importante para los latinos recibir la vacuna COVID-19? "[The campaign] encourages audiences to get the latest vaccine information—knowing that personal education is the first step in building vaccine ...
Latinos are getting vaccinated for the COVID-19 vaccine at much lower rates than other groups. This mainly due to a lack of vaccine confidence and abundance of misinformation that is targeting Latinos, who have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19. That’s why Greater than COVID partnered with UnidosUS to launch a new bilingual video series, THE CONVERSATION / LA CONVERSACIÓN, to combat vaccine misinformation. By interviewing Latino healthcare workers who answer big questions, the series aims to promote vaccine confidence and urge Latinos to get vaccinated. “This is our chance to protect ourselves, those we love and our communities so we can start to heal,” said Dr. Ana G. Cepin, a doctor in the video series.
About the Video Series
THE CONVERSATION / LA ...
Across the country, COVID-19 cases are on the rise again, despite the vaccine being widely available. This due to the delta variant, a mutation of COVID-19 that is highly contagious. But what does the rise of the delta variant mean for Latinos, those who are vaccinated and those aren’t? Learn the important facts about the delta variant and how Latinos can stay safe.
What is the Delta Variant?
The delta variant is a highly contagious strain of COVID-19 that was first identified in India and has spread across the world. “The Delta variant is the fastest, fittest and most formidable version of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 the world has encountered, and it is upending assumptions about the disease even as nations loosen restrictions and open their economies, ...
