If you have Black, Latinx, American Indian or Asian heritage, please consider participating in one of the COVID-19 vaccine trials that Tryon Medical Partners is working on in partnership with Javara Research.
Spread the word to your family and friends – you don’t have to be a Tryon Medical Partners patient to help us in this fight. If you can participate in one of our COVID-19 vaccine trials, call Tryon Medical Partners at 704-586-9386.
Why Clinical Trial Participation Matters
According to this recent article by the LA Times, clinical trial participation is not representative of the racial composition of our population. Research shows that Black people make up about 13% of the U.S. population but only 5% of clinical trial participants, on average. Latinx people account for about 18% of the population but only 1% of trial participants, on average.
Unless people of color participate, we will not know definitively that COVID-19 vaccines work well for all of us. When it comes to trials for vaccines and medicines, diversity matters. For reasons not always fully understood, people of different races and ethnicities can respond differently to drugs or therapies.
The Unfair Impact of COVID-19 Infection
The COVID Racial Data Tracker reports that Black communities and people of color account for 21% of COVID-19 deaths, which is 2.4 times the rate of white populations. Latinxs and American Indians are also getting sick and dying at higher rates than whites.
Medical professionals are working to understand gaps in racial tracking data and increase access to diagnostic testing for communities of color. There is also a role you can play in the fight against COVID-19. You can help ensure the next COVID-19 vaccine will work well for all of us, regardless of race.
Learn more about the impact of COVID-19 on communities of color, with Melissa James, MD, internal medicine doctor and one of the physician owners of Tryon Medical Partners.