Vaccination Hesitation in the Los Angeles Latino Community
By: Nick Martinez, Blake Williams, Danielle Tranter and Arianna Delgado.
For Lilibeth Orozco, her parents didn’t believe the coronavirus was real until they became infected with COVID-19. Even after that, they were still hesitant to get the vaccine.
“My mom didn’t even think the vaccine was real. She was like ‘Why do I need to do that? What’s in it? I’ll just wait until it gets to the Vallarta,’” Orozco said.
While her mom had concerns about getting the vaccine, Orozco was able to convince her to get the shot.
“We bullied her into getting it,” Orozco said.
Despite Orozco’s success in getting her parents vaccinated, many Latinos in Los Angeles County are still hesitant to get the vaccine. Latinos make up nearly half of the county’s population and they are being vaccinated at lower rates than other communities.
In Los Angeles County, only 40% of Latinos have received one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. In comparison, more than half of all white people and nearly 70% of Asians who are 16 or older have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to LA County Public Health as of May 19.
“I think there’s a lot of internal stigmas toward vaccines and medicine that is supposed to help you. For example, my grandma had spoken about how in Mexico, women were afraid to take contraceptives like birth control and stuff because there was a rumor going around that it was giving everyone cancer, but that just wasn’t true,” Orozco said. “There’s that stigma that ‘Oh, COVID is not even real, we’re going to be okay’ and ‘The vaccine isn’t real’ or there’s another stigma of if you go to the hospital, you’re seen as weak. So it’s just so many toxic stigmas that are actually hurting the community.”
One of the reasons causing vaccine hesitancy among Latinos is California’s history of forced sterilizations, according to USA Today. In California, Latinos were forced to be sterilized disproportionately under California’s eugenic law that was first passed in 1909 with effects that lasted through the 70s as more than 20,000 people were involuntarily sterilized, according to Vice and Smithsonian Magazine.
However, that is not the reason for everyone. We talked to Latino residents in the San Fernando Valley to find out their reasons for avoiding the COVID-19 vaccine. Here is what they said:
Nicole Goldman: Barista in Granada Hills
“The main reason I haven’t been vaccinated is because my mom is really against vaccines in general and I don’t want to be disrespectful to her. I plan on having a talk with her soon to explain my thoughts about why I do want to get vaccinated.”
Alex Cardenas: FedEx Driver in Canoga Park
“My personal view is that I’m not against the vaccine, and If someone wants to take it I’m all for it. But I’m not gonna take it.”
“I see all this propaganda, celebrities telling us to take it, news telling us to take it, it’s all one-sided, and I believe that If the vaccine is as good as everyone says it is, they wouldn’t need all these people to try and push it on us. That’s what makes me suspicious. I’m already not trusting of the government.”
“It’s not even FDC approved because it was so rushed, and this news media doesn’t talk about the negative effects.”
Sandra Navarrete: Resident in Winnetka
“Personally I do not like to get Flu shots, or take unnecessary medications in general, unless I feel like I absolutely need to. As for the COVID Vaccine, I definitely would not take something with so minimal research and my biggest hesitation is that I have no faith or trust in this new Presidential administration.”
Lupe Argueta: Office Manager in Reseda
“It’s not that I’m against it, I’m just not ready for it myself. To me it feels like social media says one thing, and my family and my own brain are saying different things. I’m just waiting until it feels right for me.”
“I keep hearing that the really harsh outcomes are one in a million, but unfortunately I know what it’s like to be the one who gets very sick from a shot while everyone else is fine. In the past, I’ve gotten pretty sick from flu shots and booster vaccines, so there’s also that fear there that this could be worse.”
Joel Delgado: Electrician in Northridge
“Being a Type 1 diabetic I’ve been told to be extra careful this entire past year, and I’ve been doing my part to stay healthy but I personally haven’t been sick in years, and I haven’t gotten COVID. I think it’s important to protect those that are vulnerable, but as one of those people, I feel it’s also my choice to decide what I put in my body, and at this point I’m choosing not to get the vaccine because of the lack of research.”
“With insulin, I know that it’s been in use for over a hundred years and I know how my body reacts to it. With a new vaccine that was rushed, there isn’t as much knowledge about how a diabetic’s body will react to the ingredients.”
