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COVID-19 Vax Rates at NYC Schools Differ Significantly by Race and Borough, Study Finds

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What to Know

  • The rates of COVID-19 vaccinations within New York City Schools varied depending on the race/ethnicity of the child and the borough in which they live, according to a recent study published in the journal JAMA Network Open.
  • The study was conducted by a team of researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, Syracuse University, University of Delaware, and NYC’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
  • When it comes vaccination rates among adult New Yorkers, the city’s most recent breakdown of race and ethnicity among those vaccinated as of Thursday also sees clear disparity among demographic groups.

The rates of COVID-19 vaccinations within New York City Schools varied depending on the race/ethnicity of the child and the borough in which they live, according to a recent study published in the journal JAMA Network Open.

According to new research from NYU Grossman School of Medicine, Syracuse University, University of Delaware, and NYC’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York City schools with a majority Asian student population had the highest vaccination rate for COVID-19 at 66.2%, followed by majority Hispanic schools at 53.5%.

The study also found that the schools with the lowest COVID vaccination rates were schools attended by majority white and Black students. These schools had a 44% vaccination rate.

According to the study, which examined data from more than 1,500 NYC schools with an average of 980 students, vaccination also rates varied significantly by borough. The borough with the highest vaccinate rate was Manhattan (59.7%), while the lowest was Staten Island (38.6%).

The study also found that middle-high schools had a higher vaccinate rate (64.9%) than elementary schools (38.8%).  

“While similar data have been examined for adults, we do not yet have a firm sense of how race/ethnicity influence vaccination for children,” says study lead investigator Brian Elbel, PhD, professor in the Departments of Population Health and Medicine at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.

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According to the investigators, the study has a number of limitations, including a school-level approach to collecting vaccine data, and the possibility that data on students receiving vaccinations outside of the city may be missing.

When it comes vaccination rates among adult New Yorkers, the city’s most recent breakdown of race and ethnicity among those vaccinated as of Thursday also sees clear disparity among demographic groups. According to available data published to the city’s website, the number of New Yorkers who identify as Asian/NHPI is the demographic group with the most individuals fully vaccinated at 99%. Native Americans hold the same rate. They are followed by Hispanics at 96%, whites at 77% and Blacks at 74%.

“Our new work finds that while some of the patterns seen in adults are present in children (high vaccination rates among Asian populations), there are large differences across various geographies of even a single city. Understanding these differences, including how policy and programmatic activities can address them, is important future work,” Elbel went on to say.

Source: NBC New York

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