Texas vaccine disparities remain

Texas lags behind the rest of the country in coronavirus vaccination rates among all races and ethnicity groups surveyed in a new analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation.

The big picture: New data found that of the 42 states that shared race and ethnicity data for vaccination stats, 60% of white and Hispanic people had received at least one COVID vaccine dose, higher than the 54% rate for Black recipients.

Yes, but: Texas vaccination rates don't quite match up with national numbers.

State data shows 53% of white Texans are vaccinated, compared to 60% nationally, and 46% of Black Texans are vaccinated for COVID, below the 54% rate nationally.

• Vaccinations among Hispanic Texans are roughly in line with national rates, with 59% of Hispanic Texans vaccinated with at least one dose.

Zoom in: Data for Travis County shows that nearly 31.2% of residents vaccinated with at least one dose are white; 34.3% are Hispanic; 7.7% are Black; 5.2% are Asian. Meanwhile, 16.9% identified as "other," and 4.6% were unknown.

Flashback: The COVID vaccine was first available in late 2020, and Texas officials faced questions about how the state would equitably roll out the life-saving shot.

• Race and ethnicity information for 2.15% of vaccine recipients remains unknown, and those previous racial disparities have narrowed, according to state health data.
• However, the Texas Tribune in August found that neighborhoods with the highest proportion of Black and Hispanic populations are some of the least vaccinated areas.
• Rural counties consistently lag behind the state's fully vaccinated rate, and neighborhoods with median incomes below the county's median income also report lower vaccination rates.