Health experts heighten calls to narrow Orange County’s persisting Latino vaccination gap

Health experts heighten calls to narrow Orange County’s persisting Latino vaccination gap

“We’ve done a solid job in Orange County and in the state prioritizing communities of color, who are at the highest risk of COVID and deaths related to COVID. Those efforts — they’re real, they’re happening, but we need to put more effort into it,” said Bernadette Boden-Albala, founding dean of UC Irvine’s Public Health program. Boden-Albala, a public health expert and epidemiologist, said Latinos are still being vaccinated at lower rates compared to other communities — even as state and local officials have focused more vaccination efforts on the community.