As Many Ready for COVID-19 Vaccine Approval in U.S., Historically-Based Feelings of Mistrust Persist for Some

In a recent piece for medical journal The Lancet, professor of medicine Dr. Kimberly Manning shares her experience of being a Black enrollee in a COVID-19 vaccine trial. A graduate of Tuskegee University, Manning also writes about the historical roots of mistrust between African Americans and the U.S. healthcare system, in part due to the horrific Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment on Black men from 1932 to 1972. While the majority of Americans now say they would get the vaccine, according to a new report by the Pew Research Center, Black Americans are the least inclined to get vaccinated compared to other racial groups. As the COVID-19 vaccine nears FDA approval in the U.S., we talk to Manning about the challenges of building trust with different communities. We’ll also learn more about the findings of the Pew report on whether people intend to get the vaccine and what factors inform their thinking.