Native Americans more willing to receive Covid-19 vaccine compared to general public, survey finds

Native Americans are more willing to receive a Covid-19 vaccine compared to the general United States population, recent polling has revealed. 

A survey of 1,435 Native Americans across 46 states said that 75 per cent of respondents would be willing to receive a vaccine, according to the Seattle-based Urban Indian Health Institute.

One of the key reasons why vaccine willingness was high among this population group was because 74 per cent of respondents thought it was their responsibility to receive the jab to protect their communities.

Of those who said they would be willing to receive the vaccine, 66 per cent said they thought the jab was adequately tested and effective among Native Americans.

This compares to the 66 per cent of all Americans who said they were willing to receive the Covid-19 vaccine now that there are multiple options currently available, according to a CNN poll. The poll did not breakdown one’s willingness to receive a coronavirus vaccine by race and ethnicity.

Abigail Echo-Hawk, director of the Urban Indian Health Institute, said the vaccine information and distribution campaign for Native Americans should be mimicked in other parts across the United States due to positive results. 

“The rest of the nation should be looking at the Native community, the messaging, and community cohesiveness that we have about making these decisions on behalf of an entire community,” Ms Echo-Hawk told the Seattle Times.

Typical vaccination campaigns have targeted the individual for how they respond to the Covid-19 pandemic, Ms Echo-Hawk added. But Native American tribes have focused on the impact of community response over the individual.

Higher confidence in the vaccine comes at a time when Native Americans have been disproportionately impacted by the novel virus. Native Americans are 3.5 times more likely to contract Covid-19 and 1.8 times more likely to die from the virus, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Several factors have led to Native Americans being disproportionately impacted by the virus, including tribe members suffering from asthma and diabetes, two comorbidities that can increase severe symptoms from Covid-19. Other factors include the systemic racism that has existed within the healthcare industry.

Ms Echo-Hawk helped lead the survey from the Urban Indian Health Institute after noticing that past public health campaigns excluded information that would apply to Native Americans. To respond to vaccine hesitancy, Ms Echo-Hawk recommended for public health officials to acknowledge past treatment of Native Americans when promoting the jab and other coronavirus health measures. 

Her suggestion was reflected in the survey, which found that 90 per cent of respondents wanted more information about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine for their population group before receiving the jab. 

The Seattle Indian Health Board has also vaccinated tribal elders to show other members how safe the vaccine is for the community. All of this in an effort to increases willingness within the different tribes. 

President Joe Biden has created a Covid-19 Health Equity Task Force in response to the inequities in healthcare among minority population groups across the United States. 

The task force will "expand the availability of testing and vaccines in communities of colour, and other underserved communities, ensure that new clinical treatments are developed to serve diverse Americans, and safely reopen our schools so that children who are facing disproportionately high risks of learning loss can get back into the classroom,” the plan stated.