African Americans

Black Americans' vaccination rates still trail other groups, while Hispanics show improvement. In Florida, 26% of white people have received a COVID-19 shot, compared with 13% of Blacks.

The state Department of Health said only 7% of the vaccinated people have been identified as Black, but 66% as white, 15% as "unknown" and 11% as "other."

It's not a matter of vaccine hesitancy, say advocates. Instead, poorly located clinics, lack of flexible appointments and other barriers to access are hampering Philadelphia's hardest-hit communities.

The CDC has declared that racism is a serious threat to public health. It’s a threat shows up in doctors’ offices and hospitals. For Black women seeking an OB-GYN, that experience can be especially difficult.

Many of these students are first-generation doctors with no one to turn to for advice. Finding mentors in academia is one way to help them overcome barriers and increase their odds at success.

The goal is to reach seniors who struggle to access public sites or are apprehensive about going to them. It's helping underserved communities get vaccinated.

Only about 1 percent of people vaccinated in Sarasota County are Black. Advocates say the distribution process puts underserved communities at a disadvantage. They're fighting to change that.

Students at historically Black colleges and universities in Florida are finding different ways to cope with illness, grief, family obligations and uncertainty. For the multiethnic Black community, COVID-19 has been an added stressor atop another centuries-long pandemic: racial injustice.

Bakari Burns says the closest vaccine site in his district, a Walmart in the Washington Shores area, is only doing 20 vaccines a week.

It's part of a national initiative to reach underserved communities and starts with 250 centers around the country.