By Robert A.S. Laroche
Graduate Intern, Center for Health and Biosciences
On March 7, Rice University announced the two-year anniversary of the first positive case of COVID-19 detected among their students and employees, which happened to also be the first confirmed case in all of Houston. The announcement voiced what many have been feeling: a sense of community forged by the challenges we’ve collectively faced in the last two years and a desire to move forward, to a future less defined by the influence of the COVID-19 virus on nearly every aspect of our lives.
The primary reason we have been able to progress to this point was the development of multiple, highly effective vaccines. Currently, more than 80% of all Americans over the age of 5 have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. This number increases to 95% among those above the age of 65, who are at much greater risk of hospitalization as a result of contracting the virus. At Rice University, nearly every individual has received a COVID-19 vaccine and a booster shot. As a result, discussions about vaccine distribution, vaccine accessibility, and equity of immunization that were prevalent a year ago are quickly fading into the past. After all, it’s been over a year since we awaited with great anticipation the next update to eligibility guidelines for getting our first shot, searched for out-of-the-way vaccination hubs, or stood in long lines to receive a vaccine. However, if we want to learn from the mistakes made in early vaccine rollout, it’s critical that we look back on the details of Texas’ response to the development of the COVID-19 vaccines, how this response impacted the ability of different communities to get immunized, and what changes we can make going forward that would improve outcomes for all during the next public health crisis.
In a new brief published by the Baker Institute for Public Policy, “Failures in COVID-19 Vaccine Administration Data Collection Complicated Efforts to Ensure Vaccine Equity in Texas,” my colleagues and I investigated disparities in early vaccination rates between demographic groups across the state of Texas, exploring the putative explanations for these trends as well as some potential legislative solutions. Among other things, we point out the state’s failure to adequately collect data on race and ethnicity during the first few months when vaccines were beginning to be administered across the state (December 2020 through March 2021). By the time this issue was rectified, more than 2 million vaccines had already been administered. Despite this incomplete data, we still identified large detectable disparities in immunization rates between racial and ethnic groups during these critical early months of vaccine rollout. These shortcomings highlight specific policy actions that can be taken immediately to address them, especially relating to how the state tracks immunization rates. Changes to this system and to the reporting requirements for vaccinations, such as standardizing vaccination data and moving from an expensive and complicated opt-in system to a more efficient opt-out system, would ensure that the failure to provide equal access to COVID-19 vaccines never needs to be repeated.
With mask mandates being relaxed and any remaining restrictions on in-person gatherings being lifted, it’s all too easy to forget the challenges we faced earlier in the pandemic. While we try to put some of the events of the last two years behind us, we must also strive to rectify the systemic flaws revealed by a deeper reflection on early COVID-19 vaccination in Texas. If another pandemic occurs, Texas’ ability to efficiently and fairly provide vaccines to all communities will depend on the actions we take now.