Hacker News Reader

Comment by munk-a | Hacker News Reader

I am a bit surprised this was passed but I do think that public sentiment in NYC has reached a point of it being acceptable. I think the real challenge through this pandemic has been juggling public opinion and trying to encourage high levels of vaccination while also avoiding large riots in the streets that will only further the spread of the pandemic.

The disease is a challenge at this time - but managing the public's reaction seems to be the more difficult issue. We've solved the technical problems of this pandemic (we have a vaccine) now we just need to solve the social side of it - distributing it globally and making sure everyone gets vaccinated.

To this end NYC seems a pretty good test bed due to the strong liberal leanings there and high vaccination rates.

View on HN

Those interested in public sentiment in NYC can check out the 3,800 people who are organizing on Facebook for pro-science policy that respects medical freedom, https://www.facebook.com/groups/203524481709348

Unlike the EU health pass, the NYC health pass does not have a provision for negative tests or proof of recovery/immunity. CDC recommends testing, since vaccinated people can be infected and the vaccine suppresses symptoms, so they won't know to self-isolate, https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20210729/cdc-reverses-guidan...

> Even if they’re not showing symptoms, fully vaccinated people should “get tested 3-5 days after exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 and wear a mask in public indoor settings for 14 days after exposure or until they receive a negative test result,” ... “Our updated guidance recommends vaccinated people get tested upon exposure regardless of symptoms,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, MD, told The New York Times

It wasn't passed. It is an executive order by the mayor and not a law.

> and high vaccination rates.

It's high relative to the south or florida but the order says the vaccination rate is 56%.

Seattle has a 78% vaccination rate [1] and SF has a 71% rate [2]. NYC is pretty low rate of vaccination relative to major libral cities. It seems that boston, a comparable east-coast city has a closer, but still higher vaccination rate of 65% (link somewhat out of date) [3]

[1] https://kingcounty.gov/~/media/depts/health/communicable-dis...

[2] https://sf.gov/data/covid-19-vaccinations

[3] https://www.mass.gov/doc/boston-vaccination-data-report-july...

>Seattle has a 78% vaccination rate [1] and SF has a 71% rate [2]. NYC is pretty low rate of vaccination relative to major libral cities.

New York City is 25% black. Blacks have the lowest vaccination rate among US ethnic groups. (<https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/latest-...>)

Seattle is 7% black.

San Francisco is 6% black, and is one third Asian (double that of NYC), the ethnicity with the highest vaccination rate in the US.

When I got my 2nd shot, I talked to some of the (black) workers there and they also commiserated that their friends and family still distrusted any government vaccination due to real atrocities like the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment (perpetrated for 50 years!) and other situations.

As bad as what happened at Tuskegee was, black patients were not injected with syphilis or anything like that. Patients with syphilis were not told that they had it and were monitored over the years to see what would happen.

It's not a synonymous event, but trust relies on honesty, and they were being lied to. So the trust isn't there. Also it's a result of the slavery mindset that's endemic to this country since before it's founding.

One approach might be to suggest that they go to a white part of their town and get vaccinated at a pharmacy there where white people are getting vaccinated.

FWIW, the Seattle rate you've cited is for people 12 or older, while the 56% NYC rate is for everyone in the city. NYC's vaccination rate for those over 12 is closer to 75%.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com