{"id":52768,"date":"2021-02-19T22:19:09","date_gmt":"2021-02-19T22:19:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/02\/19\/for-va-where-veterans-live-is-a-bigger-factor-in-covid-vaccine-refusal-than-race\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T09:08:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T09:08:20","slug":"for-va-where-veterans-live-is-a-bigger-factor-in-covid-vaccine-refusal-than-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2021\/02\/19\/for-va-where-veterans-live-is-a-bigger-factor-in-covid-vaccine-refusal-than-race\/","title":{"rendered":"For VA, where veterans live is a bigger factor in COVID vaccine refusal than race"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Veterans Affairs officials said they are seeing some groups of veterans turn down opportunities to get the coronavirus vaccine<\/a>, but it\u2019s not necessarily the individuals they expected to have trouble convincing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn communities of color, we\u2019re actually exceeding what we are in the white population of America,\u201d said Dr. Richard Stone<\/a>, acting head of the Veterans Health Administration, in testimony before the House Appropriations Committee on Friday. \u201cI\u2019m really pleased at how black and Hispanic veterans are accepting the vaccine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For months, health officials have warned that convincing minority groups across the country to get the two-shot coronavirus vaccine may pose a special challenge. A recent report<\/a> by the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota seeking to find out why Blacks have been less likely to take the vaccine found several factors have played a role in stoking lack of trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBetween mistrust, misinformation, and COVID management that has not always protected the most vulnerable (think inequitable test allocations<\/a> and vaccination sites<\/a>), how surprising is it that black communities have lower vaccine acceptance?\u201d the study\u2019s authors asked. A December Associated Press survey found that only 24 percent of black Americans and 34 percent of Hispanic Americans planned to get the vaccine, as opposed to 53 percent of white Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Stone said that thankfully VA has not seen that predicted problem. Instead, the most reluctant groups in their work so far appear to be rural veterans, who may already face significant challenges with health care access and vaccine availability.<\/p>\n\n\n\t