Lessons Learnt From COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy: The Role of Culturally Concordant Providers

Vaccine uptake during the pandemic had varied widely within the US with the lowest rates of vaccine uptake in predominantly southern states. While vaccine hesitancy is prevalent in the public, higher rates of vaccine hesitancy are seen among African Americans and Hispanics. The discrepant vaccine hesitancy is salient since minorities have been particularly hit hard by the pandemic with disproportionately higher rates of infection and morbidity. Recent data show disparities in vaccination rates among minorities in some parts of the US showing White residents to be twice as likely to receive the COVID-19 vaccine compared to their Black counterparts. This perspective discusses factors related to higher vaccine hesitancy among minorities and outlines the experience of a culturally concordant physician champion improving vaccine uptake at an academic medical center. Lessons from the last pandemic might help us better prepare for future ones and cope with a changing landscape that fosters political influence on vaccine uptake. Based on the lessons, we propose a new model for vaccine hesitancy, the 6C model.