COVID

‘It’s a tale of two cities:’ Ashish Jha calls out disparity in Mass. vaccination rates

"If you are in a high vaccination state, your job is not done."

Dr. Ashish Jha, pictured in December 2020, is one of the most quoted experts in his field. (Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff)

By Julia Taliesin

1 minute to read

Using Springfield and Newton as examples, Dean of Brown University’s School of Public Health Dr. Ashish Ja tweeted on Saturday about the town-to-town disparity that can exist in a state with high overall vaccination rates. 

Though Massachusetts has been lauded for achieving a high state vaccination rate, Jha pointed out that reviewing town-by-town data is still essential to getting an accurate picture of who is actually being vaccinated.

Jha noted that Springfield’s numbers are below the national average, which is 50% for first dose vaccinations. According to vaccination data tracking from the New York Times, Massachusetts has a 66% first shot vaccination rate, while Springfield is closer to Oklahoma’s rate of 41%.

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So, what explains the difference? Jha pulled out some specific data about Springfield and Newton.

  • In Springfield, 19% of residents have a bachelor’s degree or more, the per capita income is $21,000, there’s a 27% poverty rate, and the population is 60% Black or Latino.
  • In Newton, 79% of residents have a bachelor’s or more, the per capita income is $73,000, there’s a 4% poverty rate, and the population is 8% Black or Latino.

Jha called these “stunning differences,” and said it is not random which communities have lower vaccination rates. The different rates, he said, are largely driven by education, income, and race, which are all related to access.

“So its good to look at vaccinations by states [b]ut there are a TON of within-state variations,” he wrote. “So if you are in a high vaccination state, [y]our job is not done [b]ecause across America [t]here are too many people and communities for whom vaccines still remain out of reach.”

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