With the delta coronavirus variant raging and the omicron variant emerging in the United States, many are looking to get COVID-19 vaccine booster shots for further protection from the disease.
Over 25% of fully vaccinated adults in the United States have received a booster, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data as of December 5. In King County, over 460,000 boosters or additional doses have been administered. While some statistics on LGBT adults and vaccinating against COVID provide hopeful outlooks, data on the pandemic's impact on LGBT communities across the United States remains limited and contradictory.
A study from Kaiser Family Foundation published in August 2021 found that, based on LGBT identity alone, LGBT adults are more supportive of vaccine mandates, with 65% of LGBT adults supporting mandates versus 50% of non-LGBT adults. Eighty-two percent of LGBT adults have received at least one dose of the vaccine versus 62% of non-LGBT adults. KFF also found similar levels of support for a soon-to-be published study focusing on the booster.
"It does seem that LGBT people will be more interested in getting the booster than non-LGBT people," Lindsey Dawson, KFF's associate director of HIV policy, told the SGN. KFF surveyed individuals about their opinions on the booster before it was made widely available to all US adults on Nov. 19. "The question we asked–when this is available to you or to somebody like you, would you be interested in getting a booster?–seven in 10 vaccinated LGBT people said that they would definitely or probably get the booster when the FDA or CDC recommends it."
While KFF's findings largely provide a positive outlook on vaccinations in the LGBT community, other findings have unearthed hesitations. March 2021 research from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation and PSB Insights found that while 42% of LGBT adults reported they were very likely to get vaccinated, only 29% of Black LGBT adults, 38% of Bisexual adults, and 38% of Latinx LGBT adults reported the same sentiment. This aversion, often dubbed "vaccine hesitancy" by media outlets and medical institutions alike, is often rooted in trauma for many LGBT individuals.
"Vaccine hesitancy" rooted in trauma for marginalized people
"I personally don't like the term vaccine hesitancy," Becky Reitzes, a sexual health educator with Public Health Seattle & King County told the SGN. Reitzes has served as program manager with the King County COVID-19 Speakers Bureau after being redeployed to work on COVID efforts in March 2020. While many do hesitate to get a vaccine for reasons like fears of needles or concerns over medical reactions, Reitzes noted poor treatment in the medical field is also a major factor affecting COVID vaccination decisions.
"I think there are some people who are hesitant, and then there are other people who have a really, really huge, valid distrust of government and medical communities," Reitzes said. For instance, 29% of Transgender individuals reported being turned away from a doctor or healthcare provider simply because of their gender identity, according to 2015 data from the Center for American Progress.
"How are we expecting them to get a vaccine?" Reitzes said. "How are we expecting them to go back to the medical community?"
When encountering these individuals, Reitzes approaches conversations around the vaccine with empathy and understanding, and she would like others to do the same with their vaccine-averse loved ones.
"I think people expect to have a conversation with someone, and they go get the vaccine tomorrow. I've had that happen, and that's wonderful, [but] that's not my goal," Reitzes said. "My goal is–I get to plant a seed, and maybe that seed will grow. Maybe they will come back for more information, and maybe not."
For COVID's impact on LGBT individuals, existing data helps paint the picture
There is limited data on how LGBT individuals have been directly impacted by COVID-19, largely because sites administering tests and vaccines do not ask for LGBT identity from patients, but existing data indicates a need for LGBT individuals to get the vaccine or booster shot.
"We don't have a lot of good information around how COVID has impacted our communities, but we know that it has to impact our communities disproportionately; one, because of the health care issues–of not having health care or insurance, and then two, having much higher rates of underlying health conditions than their cis or straight counterparts," Reitzes said. LGBT adults are statistically more likely to have underlying health conditions that place them at higher risk of getting sick or dying from COVID. According to March 2020 data from the HRC, 37% of LGBT adult smokers smoke every day compared to 27% of non-LGBT people; 21% of LGBT adults have asthma compared to 14% of non-LGBT people; one in five LGBT adults aged 50 or older has diabetes; and 17% of LGBT adults do not have any health insurance coverage compared to 12% of non-LGBT adults.
"So we know that LGBTQ communities have been harder hit by COVID, we just don't have the stats," Reitzes said. Economic factors also have made an impact on LGBT adults; a KFF study released in March found 56% of LGBT adults, or someone in their household, experienced COVID-era job loss, compared to 44% non-LGBT adults.
Accessing boosters and any future mandates
On Nov. 19, the CDC opened up eligibility for booster vaccines to all fully vaccinated adults in the United States. For individuals looking to get a vaccine or booster shot, the Washington State Department of Health and Public Health Seattle & King County both offer resources. In King County, individuals can visit kingcounty.gov/vaccine to access a vaccine locator, a COVID-19 vaccine FAQ site, ways to access at-home vaccinations, free rides to vaccine clinics, and free childcare, as well as a language interpretation hotline, which can also be accessed by calling (206) 477-3977.
As for any possibility of booster mandates, the future remains uncertain.
"Once efficacy, or the effectiveness of the vaccine, goes away, that person is no longer vaccinated. So, it wouldn't be surprising to me to also then mandate a booster, but I have no idea if it will happen," Reitzes said when asked if future booster mandates might be a possibility. "I have no crystal ball."