Vaccine Plan Is 'Racially Discriminatory': Prince George's Leader

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — Maryland's coronavirus vaccine rollout is "racially discriminatory," Prince George's County Councilperson Mel Franklin said Wednesday. The at-large member believes his county, which has the lowest inoculation rate in the state, is at a disadvantage.

Maryland said it distributes doses at an equal rate based on county population. A recent report from The Washington Post suggested this might not be entirely accurate.

The Post found that Prince George's County, a predominantly-Black suburb, has gotten fewer immunizations per person than Talbot County, a predominantly-white rural area on the Eastern Shore.

"It is unconscionable and racially discriminatory that the State of Maryland’s vaccine distribution plan has sent disproportionately higher numbers of doses to smaller, less racially diverse counties," Franklin said in a press release.

Maryland gives at least 300 doses per week to every county, even sparsley-populated ones like Talbot. That means Talbot has gotten 16 shots per 1,000 residents. Prince George's, on the other hand, has collected nine inoculations per 1,000 people, journalist Ovetta Wiggins wrote.

This has helped Talbot County vaccinate 15.7 percent of its population. About 4.5 percent of Prince Georgians have gotten the immunization.

"African-American and Latino communities have born the brunt of this virus, but, in our state, are receiving an unfairly low share of COVID-19 vaccine doses," Franklin added. "This strategy will slow our state’s recovery and cost lives."

Prince George's County has about 25 times as many residents as Talbot County. Still, Prince George's has recorded about 40 times as many total infections and 43 times as many coronavirus deaths as Talbot.

"I strongly urge [Gov. Larry] Hogan and his team to reverse course and allocate the vaccine doses primarily to the communities that continue to be hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic," Franklin said.

Demographic Comparisons

Despite the disproportionate metrics between the two counties, there is evidence that these differences may not be entirely related to race.

Patch analyzed the racial breakdown of key coronavirus statistics in Prince George's and compared that to the county's overall demographics. We were most interested in infections, deaths and vaccinations.

First, we subtracted all the infections, deaths and vaccinations that don't list a race from the county's totals. Using this more specific subtotal, we calculated what percentage of all infections, deaths and vaccinations are attributed to each race.

The results imply that local infections don't align with the true population rates. Deaths, on the other hand, are closely aligned with the county's demographic breakdown.

Vaccinations highlight more of a disparity. Both Black and Hispanic residents are far from their expected immunization rates.

This may stem from vaccine hesitancy among the county's Black and Hispanic communities, however. If that's the case, there may not be a favoring of white residents for the inoculation, despite what the data seem to portray.

It would be more accurate to compare the racial breakdown of vaccines to the demographics of those who asked for one, rather than the profile of the county overall. This data is not public, and it is spread across every immunization provider in the state.

Essentially, the inoculation numbers appear to paint a story of favoritism toward white and Asian residents. In reality, the data to make that determination are not available.

The Data

EDITOR'S NOTE: Patch rounded to the nearest tenth of a percent in these calculations, so the totals may not add up to 100 percent.

Also, the population data come from the U.S. Census Bureau, which allows residents to check multiple races. Because of that, the sum of the racial breakdown exceeds 100 percent in the population column.

The coronavirus data are from the Prince George's County Health Department's infection dashboard and immunization portal. These information sets only allow residents to select one race.

Though the racial categorization process is different between the organizations, they are still similar enough for nonscientific comparisons.

To see when you'll be eligible for the inoculation, read Patch's explainer. Check out our how-to guide to learn how to sign up for the shot. Catch up on the latest coronavirus infection and vaccination metrics in Prince George's County by heading to our latest numbers update.

RELATED:

• Cases Are Down, But Super Bowl Spike Could Hit Prince George's
• Coronavirus Vaccine: Prince George's County Lays Out Timeline
• How To Get Coronavirus Vaccine In Prince George's County
• Vaccine Sign-Up Frustrates Marylanders; Leaders Want Single Form
• Fauci Combats Coronavirus Vaccine Hesitancy Among Marylanders

Have a story idea? Please contact me at jacob.baumgart@patch.com with any pitches, tips or questions. Follow me on Twitter @JacobBaumgart and on Facebook @JacobBaumgartJournalist to stay up-to-date with the latest Anne Arundel County and Prince George's County news.