An unequal society

After getting vaccinated, I eagerly returned to some parts of normal life, expecting the essential workers I interacted with would be already vaccinated. After all, they became eligible for the vaccine before I did, and our county has one of the highest rates of vaccinations in the country.

I was surprised when a few people told me they weren’t vaccinated. They wanted to get vaccinated, and planned to, but they couldn’t afford to risk feeling sick from side effects for two days while they had to work.

It’s sad and ironic that the very people who most need vaccines because of their jobs can’t get them because they can’t take time off work. It turns out the few people I met in this predicament are not alone. People without college degrees are less likely to be vaccinated than people with college degrees, even after accounting for their political party or race.

Vaccination rates also correspond to income: the more you make, the more likely you are to be vaccinated. Among people who say they are willing to get the vaccine, about three-quarters of people with household income under $25,000 have received at least one dose, compared to 93 percent of people with household income of $200,000 or more.

All in all, 30 million Americans want to get vaccinated but so far have been unable. They gave several reasons: some don’t have transportation to a vaccination site, others have work or family obligations, and some face disabilities, language barriers, or other difficulties.

How do we help everyone who wants a vaccine to get one?

The people I know who got vaccinated early spent a lot of time searching for appointments online and sometimes found them in far-off towns they had to drive to. Later, our county offered online registration and emailed invitations to make an appointment at a central, drive-thru site.

Either way, you didn’t get much choice about where or when you’d be vaccinated. You needed to speak English and have internet access. Often, you needed a car. And you needed the flexibility to take an appointment whenever you could get one.

Then you have to buckle up for potential side effects after your shot. Some people have no side effects, but it’s common to have a day or two of flu-like symptoms. They’re manageable, but you may need to take a sick day — and a quarter of the US civilian workforce doesn’t get paid sick leave.

I’ve heard friends who have been comfortably middle class their entire lives say things like, “It’s better to have two days of side effects now than be on a ventilator later.” That’s true — but our society often forces low-income people to sacrifice long-term needs in favor of short-term survival.

Excerpted: ‘Making Vaccines More Accessible in an Unequal Society’

Commondreams.org