Sen. Van Hollen holds roundtable discussion on COVID-19 vaccine equity

MARYLAND – U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen sat down virtually with community members across Maryland to talk about vaccine inequity. In the discussion, community members raised concerns over accessibility to vaccines and information about them. They say not everyone has access to internet or transportation to find and set up appointments, and get to the vaccination sites.

Another issue Sen. Van Hollen addressed was the fact that people of color in the state have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. Sen. Van Hollen says despite this, they’re not getting their fair share of vaccines. “It’s clear that white Marylanders are receiving the vaccine at a rate of two times what members of the Black community in Maryland are receiving. If you look at the Latino community, they received 4% of Maryland’s vaccines when they represent about 11% of the overall population,” said Sen. Van Hollen.

Senator Van Hollen also pointed out that as of Tuesday, Maryland is ranked 45th out of all 50 states for how quickly they’re getting vaccines out. He says he met with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris Tuesday morning, urging them to focus on equitable vaccine distribution across the country. “We’ve seen this in the mortality rates from COVID-19 that have disproportionately hit communities of color – the African American community, Latino Community. We’ve seen it in terms of the economic impact. We’ve seen it in terms of access to healthcare,” said Sen. Van Hollen.