
Early Dane County data shows racial disparity in COVID vaccines
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Recent data from Public Health Madison & Dane County shows racial disparities for those that have received the COVID-19 vaccine so far, but health experts say this is likely reflective of the state’s limited eligible populations and that organizations across Dane County are working to achieve racial equity.
According to the data, more than 14 percent of Dane County’s white population has been vaccinated so far, while approximately 7.4 percent of the Black population, 5.4 percent of the Hispanic population and 7.2 percent of the Asian population have been vaccinated.
Shiva Bidar-Sielaff, Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer for UW Health, said that it’s important to put these statistics into context, as vaccines are only available to a limited population of Dane County residents.
Bidar-Sielaff said that given the restricted nature of the vaccine, “it’s hard to arrive at many main conclusions at this point.”