Out of six million Ohioans 18 and older with full vaccination against COVID-19, only 3.3 million have received the booster shot. Assistant professor at OSU’s College of Public Health, Ayaz Hyder said inequities persist among communities with less access.
“If more had been done earlier on and we had used a more equity-based approach in rolling out vaccines rather than by age we would not necessarily have the kind of disparities that we see today, ” Hyder said.
Hyder said vaccine clinics could have prioritized those with lower income, access and serious health issues.
“You could have looked at certain co-morbidities and identified areas in Ohio where we have higher levels of co-morbidities and access related issues and not looked at age alone, but in combination with some of these other issues around access," said Hyder.
Hyder said more coordination between local and state health departments also may have helped speed up the vaccination rate.
He adds that misinformation has also had a detrimental effect.
Adults are eligible for boosters five months after full vaccination.
