Hardest hit communities in LA County are among the lowest vaccinated so far, data shows

L.A. communities with higher case rates seem to have lower percentages of people vaccinated against COVID-19. Take a look at our interactive maps to see how different the rates are.

ByCarlos Granda and Grace Manthey KABC logo
Monday, April 12, 2021
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LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- As COVID-19 vaccines continue to be distributed in Los Angeles County, data released by the Department of Public Health shows a stark pattern in communities who are getting the vaccine and those who aren't.

L.A. County data updated on April 9 shows high-income, mostly white Bel Air, has had just two COVID-19 deaths over the course of the whole pandemic as of April 11, for a death rate of about 24 per 100,000 people and an all-time case rate of about 4,627 per 100,000 people. As of April 4, about 53% of Bel Air's adult population was vaccinated.

Meanwhile, the lower-income city of Cudahy, a city that is made up mostly of people of color, had an all-time COVID-19 death rate of 242 per 100,000 people as of April 11, and an all-time case rate of more than 19,500 per 100,000 people. About 26% of the community's adult population was vaccinated as of April 4.

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In fact, of L.A. County communities with a population more than 1,000, those with all-time case rates falling in the highest quarter of case rates across the county had an average vaccination rate of just about 31%. Meanwhile, communities with all-time case rates falling in the lowest quarter of case rates across the county had an average vaccination rate of 44%, according to an ABC7 analysis of L.A. County data.

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There's a similar trend when looking at income by community.

In communities where typical incomes are less than $40,000 a year, an average of only about 29% of people have been vaccinated.

That's compared to communities where incomes are typically $120,000 or more, an average of about 48% of people have been vaccinated.

Even though many of these more affluent communities with lower case rates tend to have a higher percentage of people over 65 than harder hit areas, disparities still exist in vaccination rates among those 65 and older. Though, these gaps appearing to be showing signs of shrinking compared to overall rates, as the graph below shows.

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See the interactive map below for vaccination rates in your area.

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