It is heartening to see COVID-19 vaccines beginning to get pumped into arms in Hamilton County and surrounding communities. But it’s disheartening to see it happening with so much disconnect.
Disconnect like the state’s self-congratulatory pats on the back because medical experts and researchers across the country have applauded Tennessee’s so-called equitable vaccination plan – one which supposedly was among the first in the nation to consider social vulnerability in distribution.
In reality, one month into our vaccination process, state health officials say they can’t tell us how well the state’s focus on equity is being implemented.
They instead say there are “unknowns” of race and ethnicity in COVID-19 vaccine data: As of Thursday, the demographic breakdown of administered doses was 44% “unknown” by race and 31% “unknown” by ethnicity, according to data from the Tennessee Department of Health.
Apparently that means Tennessee health officials can’t read. In crisp black and white, the form being filled out by Hamilton County residents now receiving the vaccines asks clearly for that information.