Communities of Color Hesitant to Receive COVID-19 Vaccine

COVID Nasal Swab

African Americans and Hispanics are about four times as likely as their white counterparts to be hospitalized because of COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They’re also nearly three times as likely to die from the virus. Despite that, there are still members of communities of color who do not want to take the COVID-19.

After the vaccine arrived in Arkansas in December, we asked our audience if they were planning to take it. Reactions were mixed. In this audio story, we share some of those responses. We’ll also hear a conversation between Arkansas Soul Editor-in-Chief Antoinette Grajeda and ShaRhonda Love, director of the Arkansas Minority Health Commission, about the organization’s work to reach out to communities of color.

Antoinette Grajeda
Antoinette Grajeda

Antoinette Grajeda is an Arkansas-based journalist. She has covered race, culture, politics, health, education and the arts for NPR affiliates as well as print and digital publications since 2007.