Thread by @InfectiousDz

It seems like the social determinants of health are being overlooked here in the conversations about masking.

Public Health isn't about dangling health above the public and hoping everyone jumps high enough to get it. It's about dealing with realities and meeting those realities

In NYC, the elderly are still not vaccinated. Less than half of of 85+ year olds are fully vaccinated in NYC. In London, the same population has almost all received at least one dose.

Here in the UK, vaccinations among the 80+ crowd (96%). It's possible to meet the elderly and lower the bar to make it accessible. (UK has had different lag times between 1st and 2nd doses) opensafely.org/research/2021/…

These vaccination rates makes it clear something is missing in terms of vaccine accessibility and communication in NYC. Only 21% and 24% of black and Latino New Yorkers are fully vaccinated.
www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/covid…

It's *not* the time to say:
All who wanted to get vaccinated are and it's up to you if you haven't
Even those who jumped to be vaccinated may not be fully vaccinated. But it's not just that, there are systemic factors that lead to increased health risk that are worth addressing

It goes without saying the elderly and persons of color were those who have been hit hardest by COVID in NYC.
It only makes sense to ensure these same populations are vaccinated before stepping back and saying the epidemic is about personal responsibility.
No epidemic ever is.

There have been terrific steps by many hardworking folks to ensure the vaccine gets everywhere. Subway stop vaccine pop ups and home delivery make a difference. There just needs to be more time to ensure everyone is protected.