NEWSOM FINALLY ADDRESSES VACCINE INEQUITY

Gov. Gavin Newsom earned deserved applause early in the COVID-19 pandemic for his edicts on shutdowns and mask-wearing. But his administration’s failure to properly prepare for the rollout of vaccines and to prioritize school reopening (see the column to the right) has been alarming. Despite having months to prepare, California ranked at the very bottom some days in January among all 50 states in percentage of vaccinations administered.

In recent weeks, another gigantic problem has emerged. As Thursday’s editorial in The San Diego Union-Tribune laid out, in San Diego County and across the state, communities of color have been vaccinated at much lower rates than affluent, mostly White communities. According to an Associated Press report, even when vaccinations are offered in poor communities, their residents don’t always benefit. AP noted that “a South Los Angeles clinic found its appointment slots had been booked by residents of Beverly Hills.” That’s appalling.

On Thursday, the governor finally offered the sort of solution that’s been obvious all along: setting aside 40 percent of vaccines for the 400 ZIP codes that are home to concentrations of vulnerable people, in particular African Americans, Latinos, Asians and Pacific Islanders from low-income households. Dr. Mark Ghaly, the state’s health and human services secretary, predicted a doubling of vaccines administered to residents in these areas.

The state has been providing counties with vaccines for three months. It was obvious weeks ago that the results were not equitable. Given the disproportionate number of COVID-19 deaths among communities of color in California, this is not the time to say better late than never. It’s time to wonder if Newsom will just keep fueling his own recall.