Fauci speaks on vaccine passport controversy
The White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki confirmed proof of vaccinations may be required by private sectors but that the government will only provide guidance.
Americans are not enthusiastic about potentially needing vaccine passports.
There has been talk about people potentially needing to show proof of being vaccinated before entering businesses. But on Monday, experts said that concept is highly unlikely, per The Hill.
The White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki confirmed proof of vaccinations may be required by private sectors but that the government will only provide guidance.
Read More: Morgan Freeman stars in new COVID Vaccine PSA: ‘If you trust me, you’ll get the vaccine’
“I doubt that the federal government will be the main mover of a vaccine passport concept,” said the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci while on the Politico Dispatch podcast. “They may be involved in making sure things are done fairly and equitably, but I doubt if the federal government is going to be the leading element of that.”
He does say that some businesses may require proof of vaccination but it will not be required on a federal level.
“There may be theaters that say ‘you don’t get in unless you have proof of vaccination.’ There may be colleges or other educational institutions that do that. I’m not saying they should or that they would, but I’m saying you could foresee how an independent entity might say ‘well, we can’t be dealing with you unless we know you’re vaccinated,’” he added.
As per theGrio, a large part of the Black population is Mississippi has been vaccinated.
Despite figures reported by CNN earlier this year revealing that Black and Latino Americans were receiving far fewer COVID-19 vaccinations than white Americans, Mississippi is turning the corner and leading the nation in vaccination rates among African Americans, per a report by The Daily Mississippian.
Read More: African American COVID-19 vaccinations highest in Mississippi
“Mississippi appears to be first in the nation to reach vaccine parity for African Americans receiving Covid vaccinations,” State Health Officer Thomas Dobbs recently tweeted.
Making progress toward closing this racial disparity — likely the result of Black and Latino Americans’ inherent distrust of vaccines and presumably their lack of access to them — 30 percent of Mississippi’s 38 percent Black population has received vaccinations, according to the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH), as reported by The Mississippian.
In February, according to the article, Dobbs posted a chart to Twitter showing that 70 percent of African Americans receiving vaccinations were doing so at community health centers and hemodialysis centers, and of the state’s residents receiving vaccinations at drive-thru sites, 18 percent were Black.
A survey conducted by the MSDH rendered less optimistic results, however, concluding that 21 percent of Black Mississippians were inclined to decline the vaccine if given access, and another 21 percent were ambivalent, reported The Mississippian.
Addressing vaccine distrust amongst African Americans and its historical roots, the article cited the most famous and perhaps most egregious example of racist medical abuse when noting the Tuskegee Airmen who were, under the guise of being treated for syphilis, being used in an experiment to study its effects on Black men.
Additional reporting by Jamal A. Hansberry
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!
TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire, and Roku. Download theGrio today!
More About:Black History Month Health
You Might Like
