CITY OF INDUSTRY AND ROSEHILLS/SPYGLASS REGION LEADS VACCINATIONS RATES IN WHITTIER AREA

According to data provided the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, the City of Industry leads the entire Whittier Area in vaccination rates. The data also reveals huge and unjustified racial disparities in vaccine distribution and access protocols.

Industry and the Rosehills/Spyglass communities currently have a vaccination rate of over 21% the highest the County is showing for any of the county's communities.

Here are the vaccination rates of other Whittier Area Communities:

City of Whittier - 10 to 13%

East Whittier- 10 to 13%

North Whittier- 10 to 13%

South Whittier- Less than 10%

West Whittier/Los Nietos- 10 to 1%

Santa Fe Springs- 10 to 13%

Hacienda Heights- 16 to 21%

La Habra Heights- Less than 10%

La Habra- data not provided by Orange County

Pico Rivera- 10 to 13%

La Mirada 13 to 16%

East La Mirada 10 to 13%

Pellisier Village- 13 to 16%

Sunrise Village-Not enough data available

Whittier Narrows- Less than 10%

The data also shows that Whites are more likely to get access to the vaccine than people of color. Thirty four percent of Whites in the county have received the vaccine compared to 23% of Hispanics/Latinos and just five percent of Blacks. Both of the latter tend to be disproportionately impacted by COVID 19 with heaviest negative impact falling specifically on Hispanics. The data shows that Whites have been impacted by COVID in LA County as rates much smaller than for Hispanics yet, Whites are getting greater access to the vaccine for some reason that has yet to be explained and justified. Less than 2% of mixed race residents, a group that includes Ethnic Americans among others, in the county are being allowed access to the vaccine.

Almost no Indigenous Americans of pure race have been provided access to the vaccine. The County reported that barely two tenths of the county's pure race Indigenous Americans have been allowed access to the vaccine.

So we continue to see a huge racial/ethnic disparity in vaccine distribution that is not explained by population numbers. Could it be that people are cheating the system, racial bias/stereotypes, or are both at play in this in this unjust disparity. The County has spoken about disparities in the past but has yet to actually do anything about it except for County Supervisors spouting out empty rhetoric that doesn't help anyone.

The news comes as USA Today is reporting that Indigenous Americans cases and deaths are being underreported as many are being misclassified under White or Hispanic/Latino. Many of California's Indigenous peoples have long complained of being misclassed as Hispanic/Latino or White but the complaints have long fallen on deaf and insensitive ears. For more information, you can google the article under its title, "We're born Indian and we die white: Indigenous Leaders in California fear COVID deaths are going undercounted" USA Today. This writer has met many Indigenous peoples who have been misclassified as White, Black, or Hispanic based on racial stereotypes based on skin color. Even the US Census Bureau has a long history of racially misclassifying mixed race Indigenous Americans.