ANNAPOLIS, Md. — While there's been plenty of criticism about how Maryland has handled the vaccine rollout, there's actually something the state has done quite well compared to others -- compiling racial and ethnic data on who's getting the vaccine.
Of the people in Maryland who've received shots right now .. 63.4% are white, 14.7% are Black and 9% are listed as "other."
According to the most recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Maryland is 58.5% white and 31.1% Black.
So why the low rate of vaccines for Black people in Maryland?
A lot of it has to do with Prince George's County -- 2nd most populous in the state and is majority Black -- has the worst vaccination rate of any Maryland jurisdiction -- only 3.3%.
Recently, members of U.S. Congress from Maryland sent a letter to Gov. Larry Hogan requesting more transparency about measures being taken to increase equity for the vaccine and for clearer communication with citizens in the state.
The letter addressed how distrust of the vaccine in communities of color -- more specifically Black communities -- has been a major concern, and that overall communication during the vaccine rollout has been a worry.
The concern of the lack of trust in communities of color has worried federal officials and state officials across the country due to multiple federal health programs in the early to mid-20th Century, such as the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, which has played a part in the distrust.