Survey data published Thursday in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report have shown that 85% of gay and lesbian adults have received at least one dose of their COVID-19 vaccination, compared with 76% of heterosexual adults and 76% of bisexual adults. The results were taken from a survey conducted between August 29, 2021, and October 30, 2021, which involved upwards of 150,000 respondents.
Reasons for these higher rates among the LGBTQ community might come down to these individuals being more politically liberal and residents of urban areas. The pandemic was also found to have a profound impact on the LGBTQ community, particularly in terms of struggling with isolation, and this may be another factor that motivated individuals to get vaccinated fast.
As well as gay and lesbian adults being ahead in vaccination rates, the data found that confidence in the safety of vaccines was higher. Seventy-six percent of gay and lesbian respondents noted they were entirely to very confident in vaccine safety, with just under 64% of heterosexual adults reporting confidence in this area. Furthermore, just under 91% of gay and lesbian adults and just under 87% of bisexual adults said they believed the COVID-19 vaccine to be important in protecting themselves, while only 80% of heterosexual adults found the vaccine to be important.
Wealth was also found to be a factor in whether an individual was more likely to be vaccinated. Upwards of 94% of gay or lesbian adults with a household income of $75,000 or above were partially vaccinated or fully vaccinated, in contrast with approximately 74% of gay or lesbian adults with an income below the poverty line. Wealth is a determining factor because COVID-19 vaccination sites have been found to be more accessible to higher income communities, with poorer areas facing difficulties with access to phones and computers to make bookings, and also in finding time to get vaccinated outside of work.
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When it came to the data on race and ethnicity, white gay and lesbian adults had the highest vaccination rates, at 94% for white men and 88.5% for white women. Vaccination rates were lowest among all Black LGBTQ+ people. There are various potential reasons for this. One is that, due in large part to structural inequities, Black people are more likely to have lower incomes and other access issues that can impact vaccination rates. Also, of course, there’s been a lot of discussion of how past and present medical mistreatment may make various communities of color more skeptical of the COVID-19 vaccines.
The authors of the study reiterated the importance of inclusivity in health surveys as it helps to better inform healthcare for LGBTQ+ communities. “Inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity in surveys, as well as in COVID-19 testing, case reporting, and vaccination administration systems, can guide strategies to improve access to health care and prevention services among LGBT populations,” the report says.
The report also implores people of all sexualities to get vaccinated, if they are yet to do so. “To prevent serious illness, hospitalization, and death, which are more common in unvaccinated persons than in those who have been vaccinated, it is important that all persons in the United States, including those in the LGBT community, stay up to date with recommended COVID-19 vaccinations,” the report says. More than 61% of the world’s population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, with 10.1 billion doses having been administered across the world.
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Source: SELF
