Data show residents in Florida's wealthiest zip codes are receiving the COVID-19 vaccine faster than low-income communities
Delivery of the COVID-19 vaccine for residents of Florida's wealthiest zip codes is outpacing that in low-income communities.
New state data show over 100,000 people have been vaccinated in large counties like Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach, but there are large inconsistencies with the pace of vaccinations across counties and demographics.
Fisher Island, which has a median income of $200,000, has vaccinated at least half of its residents, according to the Miami Herald.
Less than 20 miles away in Opa-locka, where the median income is under $22,000 and the Herald reported 40% of the population lives in poverty, only 2% of residents have received the COVID-19 vaccine so far.
Census data show most residents of Fisher Island are 65 and over, which is one of the "high risk" and top priority groups to receive the vaccine first.
Insider's Abby Narishkin previously reported the island boasts an average income for residents of $2.2 million a year. The "members-only" island was able to obtain 800 coronavirus antibody tests for the residents and staff who live in the richest zip code in America.
The island's 33109 zip code falls under Miami-Dade County, which leads the state's vaccination rates at 143,257 so far. Broward County came in second with 114,093 vaccinations and Palm Beach trails behind with 111,778.
Out of 143,257 vaccines distributed overall in Miami-Dade County, only 8,697 who identified as Black received shots and 94,401 vaccines were given to those who identify as white. This figure is out of pace with numbers reported by the 2019 US census, in which 17.7% of Miami-Dade residents, or just over 461,000 people, identified as Black or African American.
Miami-Dade Commissioner Keon Hardemon told the Herald the county was looking for other ways to reach the Black community for vaccination, as Black men are at a particularly high risk of dying from the virus.
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