ACLU, advocacy groups call for equitable COVID-19 vaccination plan

The ACLU of Indiana, joined by several community organizations, is calling on Gov. Eric Holcomb to prioritize the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine for Hoosiers who have been disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus, including those who are incarcerated and are minorities.

In a letter sent to the governor Monday, the civic groups highlighted the higher rates of infections and deaths that individuals in Indiana’s long-term care facilities and prisons as well as in communities of color have suffered during the global pandemic. They urged that decisions about which groups to vaccinate first be made with a transparent, evidence-based and impartial process.

“… (A) vaccine-distribution plan cannot be considered fair or equitable if it does not take into account, and attempt to redress, the disproportionate impact the pandemic has had on these at-risk communities,” the letter states.

Along with the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana, the letter was signed by The Bail Project, Greater Indianapolis NAACP Branch 3053, Immigrant Welcome Center, Indiana Black Expo, Indianapolis Urban League, Public Advocates in Community re-Entry Inc. and RecycleForce.

Indiana received its first dose of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine Monday, according to the Associated Press. Six health workers at Parkview Health in Fort Wayne were the inaugural group in the state to be vaccinated.

The state’s plan for allocating the vaccine was released in October. It puts health care workers at the front of the line followed by individuals with medical conditions that make them particularly vulnerable to COVID-19. Phase 2 includes people living in correctional facilities and group homes as well as those whose work is essential.

In their letter, the groups note 49.5% of Indiana’s COVID-19 deaths have occurred in long-term care facilities. Also, incarcerated individuals have an infection rate that is 82% higher than the state’s infection rate as whole, and the death rate from the coronavirus for this population is 71% higher.

“Indiana has a legal obligation to take care of the people it chooses to incarcerate, including those in immigration detention in state and local facilities,” the groups wrote in their letter. “… Indiana also has a moral and ethical obligation to provide robust case for incarcerated and detained people.”

In addition, the community organizations advocated that people of color be prioritized for vaccination. They cite statistics that show nationally, Black, Latinx and Indigenous people are about four times more likely to be hospitalized because of COVID-19 and roughly three times more like to die.

Within Indiana, Latinx Hoosiers comprise 7% of the population but make up 12% of the coronavirus cases.

“Decisions regarding the allocation and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines will no doubt be difficult and complex,” the organizations wrote. “Indiana must, however, heed its moral and legal obligations to make these decisions based on the public-health evidence, prioritizing access for those communities that have been disproportionately affected by the disease.”