Black people should get COVID-19 vaccine first, after health workers

Co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Melinda Gates says black people should be prioritised for vaccination against COVID-19.

She stated this during a Question &Answer Session with TIME Magazine ahead of the 2020 Global Vaccines Summit, which held on June 4.

According to the notable philanthropist, blacks should be next in line after health care workers to be vaccinated against the deadly virus due to its impact among the black populace in America.

She said, “The first people that need this vaccine are the 60 million health care workers around the world. They deserve to get it before anybody else. Then you start tiering.”

Asked about the next set of people to get the vaccine, when available, after health care workers, Gates said, “In the U.S., that would be black people next, quite honestly, and many other people of color. They are having disproportionate effects from COVID-19.

“From there, people with underlying health conditions, and then people who are older. Those are the ones who all need it first.

“We also need to think about essential workers who are keeping our grocery stores open for us so we can buy food, or who are making sure that food moves through the warehouses.”