Hispanic vaccination rates soar in Tulsa

...but this hesitancy – whether real or merely perceived – is no longer a factor, according to both local and national data. In fact, Hispanics account for a disproportionately high number of those getting vaccinated in 2022. “In recent weeks, vaccinations among Hispanics are far outpacing those of the full county, most dramatically among children ages 5 to 11,” said Tulsa Health Department expert Wayne Everett. “While Hispanics as a whole are estimated to be about 16% of the county population, from midjanuary through mid-february, self-identified Hispanics have represented approximately 30% of those being vaccinated.”

Everett explained that this has been driven in part by shots given to children, ages 5 to 11, which is the age group most recently approved for vaccination.

“The Hispanic population, being younger than that of the full county, has a disproportionate share of this age group, with Hispanic kids ages 5 to 11 estimated to be approximately 21% of the 5 to 11 population,” Everett said. “But, young Hispanic children are well over-represented among those being vaccinated in Tulsa County. In the second half of January, 32% of kids ages 5 to 11, were Hispanic, and in the first half of February, this jumped to 44%, or more than double their share of the population.”

But it isn’t just Hispanic kids who are getting the life-saving vaccine – the whole family seems to be joining in as well. This has been observed by volunteers for the Uma Center of Tulsa, a local non-profit organization that has been on the front lines of making sure vaccines are widely available to the city’s Spanish speaking and Latinx residents.

“Since December we have seen a significant increase in the number of families with children being vaccinated,” said Martha Isabel Zapata, Uma Tulsa’s Executive Director.

Zapata said that Uma Tulsa partnered with Walmart Pharmacies and Oklahoma Caring Vans to offer vaccinations where the people gather, and the community’s response was enormous.

“We had massive attendance to the vaccination drives we scheduled during the last six months. Uma Tulsa’s outreach efforts have helped remove language, literacy, and trust barriers that were preventing many Latinx from getting a Covid-19 vaccine,” Zapata explained. “Since September 2021, we have held 18 vaccination clinics…we have vaccinated a total of 3,035 people at those events. The most successful singleday vaccination outreach effort was one we held at the Walmart Neighborhood Market at 31st & Garnett on December 28, 2021. That single day, we vaccinated 214 people total.”

Zapata hopes this trend continues, because the vaccines work and are making a real difference in keeping Hispanics healthy.

“Studies have shown that vaccines against Covid-19, and the booster in particular, seem to prevent severe illness and hospitalizations related to Covid-19 infections in most people with healthy immune systems,” she explained.

And remember, it can be a family or social event, as was the case for Mateo Rojas, a 7-yearold boy who recently brought a friend along with him to get vaccinated.

“I already got my first shot before, but my friend was afraid,” Mateo said, “so for my second shot my friend came too, so he could see me get it and then he wouldn’t be scared.” (La Semana)