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OLBC Foundation Calls on Gov. DeWine to Include African
Americans in the Next Expanded Eligibility Group for
COVID-19 Vaccinations
The Ohio Legislative Black Caucus Foundation today called on
Gov. Mike DeWine to include African Americans as a
vulnerable group. As with other designated groups, African
Americans are at high risk of hospitalization, illness, and
death from COVID-19.
“African Americans are disproportionally affected by
COVID-19, but were not considered when Gov. DeWine rolled
out the first phase of the COVID-19 vaccinations. Black
Ohioans have been underserved and not getting a cure," said
Barbara Sykes, CEO, and President of the Ohio Legislative
Black Caucus Foundation.
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Barbara Sykes |
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Sykes mentioned the decline in life expectancy for African
Americans amid the pandemic. "Per the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC), the life expectancy of African
Americans has dropped by 2.7 years, almost 3 years in the
last six months because of COVID-19," Sykes said. "We know
Black Americans are twice as likely to die of COVID-19 as
White Americans, and Black Americans are also dying at rates
similar to those of Whites who are 10 years older."
Sykes said the best predictor of Covid-19 vulnerability is
not only age; it's race, and the solution is simple,
prioritize Black Ohioans getting vaccinations. “The only way
we can hope to stop this disproportionate and devastating
impact upon the Black community is by getting the vaccine in
the arms of Black people,” Sykes said.
The Ohio Legislative Black Caucus Foundation strives to be
the pre-eminent hub for non-partisan analysis examining the
impact of public policy on African American communities.
OLBC works to advance Ohio’s African Americans through
educational research, facilitation of public policy
development, and analyzing issues of social and economic
importance including, but not limited to, promotion,
inclusion, and diversification in the public and private
sector. ###
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