COVID Vaccine Trials Seek Black, Latinx Participants But History of Medical Apartheid Sows Mistrust

Summary

In this Democracy Now segment, Amy Goodman and Nermeen Shaikh discuss President Donald Trump’s acknowledgment of downplaying COVID-19 despite knowing its severity early on. The segment also highlights journalist Bob Woodward’s revelations about Trump's private statements. As COVID-19 disproportionately impacts Black, Latinx, and Indigenous communities, concerns are raised about the mistrust of the medical system, influenced by historical events like the Tuskegee syphilis experiments. Medical ethicist Harriet Washington discusses ongoing skepticism toward vaccines, historical medical abuse of marginalized groups, and the underrepresentation of these communities in current vaccine trials.

Takeaways

• 😷 President Trump admitted to downplaying the coronavirus pandemic to avoid causing panic, even though he was aware of its severity early on.
• 📅 Trump knew by February 7th that COVID-19 was airborne and deadlier than the flu but did not declare a national emergency until March 13th.
• 🦠 As of the report, the U.S. death toll from COVID-19 had reached 190,000, and vaccine trials were struggling with participation from Black, Indigenous, and Latinx communities.
• 💉 Operation Warp Speed, aimed at fast-tracking a vaccine, faced skepticism from communities of color due to mistrust of the healthcare system, influenced by historical abuses.
• 🔬 The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment, one of the most notorious cases of medical exploitation of African Americans, involved withholding treatment from Black men for decades.
• 🧪 Despite penicillin being a known treatment for syphilis by 1945, subjects in the Tuskegee experiment were left untreated until the study was exposed and halted in 1972.
• 📚 Harriet Washington, author of 'Medical Apartheid,' discusses how historical and ongoing unethical medical experimentation on Black Americans has fostered mistrust in healthcare.
• 🧠 Medical abuses like those documented in 'Medical Apartheid' included experiments on enslaved people, disfiguring procedures, and the use of Black bodies for dissection after death.
• 🌍 Vaccine trials, both in the U.S. and globally, have faced similar ethical concerns, particularly in developing nations, contributing to hesitancy among marginalized groups.
• 🧑‍⚕️ Dr. Anthony Fauci has called for more significant participation of Black and Latinx people in vaccine trials, noting that current levels are far below the recommended targets.

Q & A

What did President Donald Trump admit regarding the COVID-19 pandemic during the early stages?

Trump admitted that he downplayed the threat of COVID-19 in public, despite being briefed on the severity of the pandemic in early February. He explained that he did so to avoid creating panic.

What did Trump tell Bob Woodward in a February 7 phone call about COVID-19?

Trump told Bob Woodward that the virus was airborne, highly contagious, and more deadly than the flu, with a mortality rate of 5%, compared to the flu’s rate of less than 1%.

When did the White House declare a national emergency for COVID-19, and why is the delay significant?

The White House declared a national emergency on March 13, over a month after Trump was briefed on the seriousness of the virus. The delay is significant because it suggests that action could have been taken earlier to mitigate the pandemic’s impact.

What challenges has Trump's Operation Warp Speed faced in terms of vaccine trials?

Operation Warp Speed has faced challenges due to a lack of participation in vaccine trials from African American, Indigenous, and Latinx communities, many of whom distrust the healthcare system.

Why do many African American and Indigenous communities mistrust the healthcare system, according to the NIH report?

The mistrust stems from a historical legacy of mistreatment by the medical profession, such as the Tuskegee syphilis experiment, where African American men were deliberately left untreated for syphilis for decades.

What was the Tuskegee syphilis experiment, and why is it infamous?

The Tuskegee experiment, started in 1932, involved 400 African American men with syphilis who were left untreated to study the disease’s progression, even though penicillin was identified as a reliable treatment in 1945. The experiment continued until a whistleblower exposed it in 1972.

How did the Tuskegee experiment contribute to distrust in the healthcare system among African Americans?

The Tuskegee experiment reinforced the idea that the healthcare system could exploit and deceive African Americans, as the men were misled into believing they were receiving treatment, when in fact, they were given placebos and not properly treated.

What are some examples of medical experimentation on African Americans mentioned by Harriet Washington?

Examples include boiling water being poured on the backs of slaves, amputation demonstrations on enslaved individuals, experimental reproductive surgeries, vaccine testing on slaves, and using African American bodies for medical dissection and experimentation post-mortem.

Why is there a lack of representation of African Americans and Latinx people in current vaccine trials?

The lack of representation is due in part to historical abuses in medical research, which have led to deep mistrust in the medical system. Additionally, ongoing discrimination in healthcare contributes to the reluctance to participate.

What participation rates are recommended by Dr. Fauci for Latinx and Black communities in COVID-19 vaccine trials, and how do current participation rates compare?

Dr. Fauci recommends that Latinx participation be at 37% and Black participation at 27%. However, current participation rates are much lower, with Moderna having 16% Latinx and 10% Black participants, while Pfizer has 11% Latinx and 8% Black participants.