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Despite having one of the highest risks of dying from Covid-19, about twice that of white Americans, Black Americans remain one of the least vaccinated racial or ethnic groups, with data showing that only 5.7 percent have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.Many are quick to blame “vaccine hesitancy” as the reason, putting the onus on Black Americans to develop better attitudes around vaccination. But this hyper-focus on hesitancy implicitly blames Black communities for their undervaccination, and it obscures opportunities to address the primary barrier to Covid-19 vaccination: access.Access matters. A closer look at the data reveals that when Black people are given the opportunity, they do get vaccinated.[…]
