Black residents of Missouri have received roughly 4% of the total COVID-19 vaccines administered, despite making up 11% of the population, according to a new dashboard https://covidvaccine.mo.gov/data the state launched Tuesday.
For the first time, the dashboard shed light on detailed demographic data and a county-by-county breakdown of where COVID-19 vaccines have been given to residents. Sadly, similar to Missouri’s demographic data on coronavirus cases — it’s incomplete. The dashboard’s launch follows criticism in recent days after data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed Missouri was last in the country in the percentage of residents who have received an initial dose.
According to Missouri’s dashboard Tuesday, an estimated 4.5% of the state’s residents received at least their first dose. From Jan. 16 to 22, 105,870 doses had been administered — an average of 15,111 a day.
The state’s population that has received at least one dose had increased by a percentage of 6.2% by Saturday.
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Boone County was one of only five counties in the entire state where more than 5% of residents had received the first dose. Boone County’s percentage Saturday was 8.4%. The county of Cape Girardeau had the largest share of residents who had received an initial dose at 12.5%. The state’s largest metro areas had administered the most doses. Several counties had administered fewer than 100 doses as of last Tuesday.
The largest number of vaccines have been administered to residents who are between 55 and 64 years old, with 68,596 doses as of Jan. 24. However, the age group that has the largest percentage of people vaccinated so far were those 85 and up, with an estimated 11.8% of people in that age group receiving a dose among 15,975 doses. Rates exclude records for which age was unknown, meaning the actual number may be higher.
Demographic data is not displayed by county, and the dashboard does not break down how many doses of demographic data is unknown. With racial data unknown for about 18% of doses administered, the ability to understand the scope of vaccinations in Missouri’s communities of color is limited.
According to figures from the state’s immunization database, ShowMeVax, that were released by the Missouri Hospital Association in its Tuesday newsletter, racial data was missing or unknown for 65,807 doses administered as of Jan. 24.Of the data the state has collected, the largest number of vaccines has gone to white residents, with 209,880 doses — nearly 59% of all doses administered.
