As mistrust remains high within the Black community, a Black ICU nurse was administered the shot on broadcast TV.On Monday, ICU nurse Sara Lindsay was one of the first to get a shot of the coronavirus vaccine in the United States. Her shot was administered by Dr. Michelle Chester at the Long Island Jewish Medical Center, and the event was broadcasted live.
“I have no fear,” Lindsay said. “I trust the science. My profession is deeply rooted in science. I trust science. What I don’t trust is getting Covid-19, because I don’t know how it will affect me and the people around me that I could potentially transfer the virus to.”
However, while Lindsay and Chester, both Black women, trust in the vaccine, broadcasting their image at the forefront of vaccine recipients was likely done for strategic reasons and obscures the ugly relationship the medical field has with Black Americans, especially Black women.
A recent poll from the Pew Research Center revealed that while 71 percent of Black Americans know someone who contracted or died from Covid-19, only 42 percent would be willing to get vaccinated- a number significantly lower than any other demographic.
While this number is certainly concerning, it is, by no means, surprising, as doctors predicted early in the year that vaccination apprehension amongst the Black community would be high.
Considering the degree to which Black Americans suffered in the pursuit of modern medicine. One need not look far to find examples: in the 1950s, Henrietta Lacks’ cancer cells were taken and used for research without her family’s consent. The Service Syphilis Treatment at Tuskegee, which only ended in the 1970s, used hundreds of Black men with the disease and they were observed for decades but offered no treatment so that scientists could see its effects on the human body. Just earlier this year, Michael Hickson’s, a Black quadriplegic man, was diagnosed with Covid-19 and his caretakers withheld his treatment until he died.
But these issues are systemic and unfortunately, the distrust of a vaccine goes hand-in-hand with the medical racism that is still prevalent. Black women in 2020 are two to three more times likely to die in childbirth than white women are. On top of that, all Black patients at any hospital are more likely to receive cheaper care, suffer misdiagnosis, and “less desirable treatments” than white patients. As a result, the consistent mistreatment of Black Americans within the medical field does not cultivate a trusting relationship between doctor and patient, and an unsurprising byproduct is that the majority of the Black community might refuse to get vaccinated.
However, there have been efforts to encourage the Black community to get vaccinated. For example, the Black Coalition Against Covid-19, based in Washington, D.C., organized community leaders to support public health efforts and work in conjunction with the D.C. Government and D.C.Health. To further spark conversation surrounding the pandemic, the Coalition launched “A Love Letter to Black America” from Black nurses and doctors.
The Black community’s unique relationship with healthcare is what makes the broadcasting of Chester’s administration of the coronavirus vaccine intriguing. On one hand, the media displays the achievements and courage of both an accomplished Black doctor and brave ICU nurse; on the other, it is working to encourage the Black community to overcome its fears and get vaccinated, despite mistrust in the medical system rooted in real events.
Nonetheless, nine months into a global pandemic, the distribution of vaccines is worth the celebration. And, hopefully with Black women used as the face of healthcare, the Black community will receive the visibility, outreach and equitable treatment everyone deserves.