Black Marylanders embrace vaccine
Tournament title continues ongoing success
Vaccine hesitancy among Black Marylanders has plummeted. Sixty percent of Black residents say they will either get a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as they can or indicate they’ve already received at least one dose, according to the most recent Goucher College Poll. That’s the same percentage who said they would not get such a vaccine just five months ago. The causes and public health implications of this dramatic shift are worth considering, as are potential blind spots of the data.
For starters, the drop in hesitancy didn’t just happen, nor can it just be explained simply by the availability of the vaccine. Black doctors, public health professionals, and leaders like UMBC President Freeman A. Hrabowski have offered their time and, in some cases, public profile to educate and alleviate concerns about the vaccines.
Black political leaders have also stepped up. Baltimore City Mayor Brandon Scott, City Health Commissioner Letitia Dzirasa, along with several members of the City Council and state legislative delegation, have been a consistent, visible presence in the city urging residents to get vaccinated. House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones, Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford also have used their platforms in a similar fashion throughout the state. This work has undoubtedly made an impact.
The Goucher College Poll provides a state-level measure that challenges assumptions about the preferences of Black Marylanders. But there are limits to the statewide data. A significant drop in vaccine hesitancy does not mean that vaccine hesitancy no longer exists.
Black people share the painful history of Tuskegee and Henrietta Lacks, but they are not a monolith. We don’t know precisely how attitudes toward the vaccine differ among Black Marylanders along demographic and geographical lines. More than a third of Black residents either want to “wait and see” how the vaccines work or don’t want to take one at all. Given that hesitancy differs across education and income more broadly, it’s likely that some Black residents harbor higher reluctance than others. The leaders who best understand the dynamics of their communities should continue the work of promoting the safety and efficacy of the vaccines.
Still, the poll results illuminate an important reality: the differences in vaccination rates between white and Black Marylanders cannot be dismissed as a result of hesitancy. Recent data from the Maryland Department of Health show that white residents have received four times as many doses of vaccine as Black residents. Another way to look at it: about 15% of vaccine recipients are Black, and Black people make up 31% of the state’s population. And of specific concern to Black Baltimoreans, most of the doses of the vaccine allocated to Baltimore City have been administered to non-city residents.
To be sure, the inequities in distribution are not unique to Maryland or Baltimore City. Data compiled by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that in the 34 states that report vaccination data by race there is a pattern of Black people receiving smaller shares of vaccinations compared to their share of the total population.
Black people, as well as other racial minorities, have already experienced higher rates of infection and death than their white counterparts in Maryland and nationwide. Black workers are also more likely to be employed in a front-line job where they face greater risk of exposure to COVID-19. Thus, as the state moves toward reopening businesses and schools, it’s critical that vaccines get into Black arms at the same rate as those of white residents.
As the volume of vaccines increases over the next few weeks, addressing the supply-side of the problem, Gov. Larry Hogan must focus state efforts on decreasing the racial disparities in vaccination rates by addressing issues of access rather than hesitancy. State officials need to listen to local leaders and residents, particularly those in working class, majority-Black neighborhoods, to identify the best ways to distribute the vaccine. State support for a community-based approach that includes an increase in small volume hyper-localized or even mobile sites, and help from trusted community partners as well as transportation to larger mass vaccination centers is a good first step.
A lack of transportation to vaccination sites, problems with the registration system, and conflicts with work schedules are not problems of reluctance. They are systemic barriers to access that threaten our goal as Marylanders: herd immunity and a return to our pre-pandemic lives.
INDIANAPOLIS — Seventhranked Maryland’s scoring depth and impressive skill were once again on display in a 104-84 rout of Iowa on Saturday that claimed a second consecutive Big Ten Tournament championship.
How impressive? Coach Brenda Frese suggests these Terps (24-2) have more offensive potency and depth than her 2006 national championship squad.
“I love where this team is at right now,” Frese said. “I wouldn’t want to play us.”
There’s a reason Maryland has reached the Big Ten title game in each of the seven seasons since joining the conference and won six of seven regular-season titles.
The nation’s No. 1 offense, which entered this week averaging 93.1 points, comes at an opponent fast and is relentless.
“We just play hard as soon as we step on the court and it becomes fun,” said Most Outstanding Player Diamond Miller, who scored 15 points and had six assists. “We’re always smiling.”
The Terps have won 13 in a row, all by double digits, to earn consideration for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Chloe Bibby led the Terps with 21 points, including 11 with three 3-pointers in the opening quarter. Seven of eight players who scored early had more than one basket. Each half started with top-seeded Maryland hitting a 3-pointer on the opening possession.
“I thought they were just dialed in from start to finish,” Frese said.
Then there were moments when the talent was undeniably unique. Late in the first half, Angel Reese (St. Frances) threw a no-look, wraparound pass inside to Faith Masonius, who finished with a reverse layup. Both of those players come off the bench.
“Our teammates have proven they are scorers, just like us,” Miller said.
About that balance, in addition
to Bibby, Mimi Collins had 17 points and six rebounds, Katie Benzan 14 points and six assists, and Ashley Owusu 12 points and seven assists.
Maryland’s unselfish ballhandlers had a 29-19 advantage in assists. Its bench outscored Iowa’s 23-9. And the Terps produced more in the paint, 46-30.
Iowa (18-9) has two special players in All-Big Ten standouts Monika Czinano and Freshman of the Year Caitlin Clark, who had 22 and 21 points, respectively.
“I’m really, really proud of our team,” Czinano said. “I don’t think very many people ever thought we’d make it to a championship
Monday, 7 p.m. TV: ESPN
game.”
The fifth-seeded underdogs had to win three games in as many days to play for a fourth consecutive day against one of the best teams in the country.
“I’m not disappointed with the effort this weekend,” Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said. “[Maryland is] such an offensive juggernaut.”
The Hawkeyes shot 53% from the field but couldn’t stop Maryland’s offense, whether it was trying to defend strong drives to the rim, getting back in transition or not extending
enough on the perimeter to prevent 3-pointers. The Terps seemingly did what they wanted.
Maryland led 29-18 after the first quarter and 55-37 at halftime. Iowa never narrowed the gap to single digits. Maryland led 79-57 after three quarters.
“I could really see them get to the Final Four,” Bluder said of the Terps.
It was the fifth tourney title for the Terps, who also won in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2020.
Four of the five players voted by media to the all-tournament team played in the finale. Miller received the Jim and Kitty Delany Most Outstanding Player award. She was joined on the team by 2020 MOP Owusu, Czinano, and Clark.
Michigan State’s Nia Clouden (St. Frances) was the other selection.
The 13th-ranked Loyola Maryland men’s lacrosse team fell behind early, but Kevin Lindley started an eight-goal run run that spanned the first and second quarters and the Greyhounds won 16-6 over visiting Lafayette on Saturday.
John Mathes scored two goals during a 4-2 run in the first quarter for the Leopards. Loyola (3-2, 1-1 Patriot League) answered when Lindley scored on an assist from Aidan Olmstead with six minutes left in the first quarter to start the 8-0 run. Lindley would add two more goals during the first quarter at 3:51 and 53 seconds.
The Greyhounds led 10-5 at the break and went on a 4-0 run to start the second half and pull away from Lafayette (0-3, 0-1). Evan James finished with a game-high four goals and Lindley and Peter Swindell each had three goals for Loyola. Sam Shafer made five saves for the Greyhounds in the win.
Cam Wyers posted four ground balls and three caused turnovers on defense for Loyola.
Ryan McNulty added three and one, while Payton Rezanka had two caused turnovers.
Loyola went man-down five times and killed all of the penalties.
The Greyhounds remain at Ridley Athletic Complex for their next game, hosting Bucknell at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
Salisbury 30, Southern Virginia 10: After suffering a rare season-opening loss last week, the visiting Sea Gulls (1-1, 1-0 Capital Athletic Conference) went on a tear.
Salisbury opened with a 3-0 run and led 9-2 in the first quarter over the Knights (1-5, 0-2) and 16-4 at the half. Cross Ferrara gave the Sea Gulls a 2-0 lead with goals at 14:14 and 12:37 and finished with a gamehigh 10 goals, on 17 shots, and added an assist.
T.J. Ellis (1-1) made nine saves for the win and Matty Back had two saves for Salisbury, which will host Mary Washington Tuesday at 4 p.m.
Christopher Newport 18, Washington College 4: Christopher Newport, the No. 11-ranked team in Division III, jumped to a 5-1 lead after the first quarter on its way to a win over host Washington College in nonconference action. The Captains improve to 4-0 overall, while the Shoremen are 1-1.
Chris Delrasario had 12 saves for the Shoremen, while Dylan Rice led CNU with three goals and three assists.
No. 18 Hofstra at Towson, ppd.: The Pride (3-1) vs. the host Tigers (2-4) game was postponed. There was a positive COVD-19 test within the Hofstra program. Towson travels to Delaware next Saturday at noon.
UMBC at Binghamton, ppd.: The game between the visiting Retrievers (2-0) and host Bearcats (1-0) has been postponed to March 27 at noon. UMBC halted activities due to COVID-19 protocals. UMBC will travel to Hartford next Saturday at noon.
Mount St. Mary’s at Bryant, ppd.: The game between the visiting Mount (1-5) and Bulldogs (3-1) was postponed to May 1 at 12:00 p.m. There was a COVID-19 related issue within the Bryant program. Mount St. Mary’s will host Hobart next Saturday at 1 p.m.
Nation
Vermont 14, No. 14 Albany 12: Liam Limoges scored four goals to lead the visiting Catamounts (2-2, 2-0 America East) over the Great Danes (2-1, 1-1). Vermont scored five goals in the first and second quarters and took a 10-4 lead in the first half.
No. 20 Richmond 23, Virginia Military Institute 6: The visiting Spiders (2-3, 1-0 Southern Conference) jumped out to a 9-3 lead in the first quarter and beat the Keydets (1-2, 0-1).
Richmond scored the most goals in a single game, the previous high 21 came against New Jersey Institute of Technology in 2015. Dalton Young set a school singlegame goal-scoring record with seven goals and Jacob Griffin won 22 of 26 faceoffs, another school record.
Colgate at No. 7 Army West Point, ppd.: The game between the Raiders (1-2, 1-0 Patriot League) and the Black Knights (3-1, 1-0) was postponed. The game was postponed because of a positive test within Army’s Tier 1. No makeup date has been announced.