States are rolling out COVID-19 vaccines to "high risk groups" but there's a lot of nuance in how "high risk" is defined. Dr. Monica Bharel, health commissioner of Massachusetts, talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about the state's unique approach, which includes prioritizing communities impacted by institutional racism and those with disproportionately high numbers of COVID infections. Dr. Bharel also talks about what the state is doing to go beyond just making the vaccine available to support high uptake of vaccination among people who can benefit the most.
KEYWORDS: health equity; racial disparity; health communication
Public Health On Call