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It's been a while since I've written on any COVID-19 or vaccine misinformation, but this one hits close to home. This physician trained at the same program I did.

Have the COVID-19 Vaccines Really Killed 4,178 People? My Response to a Former Waco Chief Resident A Brief Apology It’s been a difficult pandemic. And while our COVID-19 cases and the severity of illness we faced as a community was undoubtedly worse over the Winter, the hardest time period…

I don't have time to write about Texas, the state where I live and practice medicine, deciding today to stop requiring masks and to "100% reopen." If you want more info I suggest you start with my friend Dr. Emily Smith, the Friendly Neighbor Epidemiologist: https://www.facebook.com/friendlyneighborepidemiologist/posts/254900069465983

But I did take the time to fix the official announcement from the Governor's Office. You're welcome, Governor's Office.

𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐨𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬?

𝐚𝐧𝐝/𝐨𝐫

𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐨𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐞?

𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞: I'm committed to not defend, explain away, or argue the other side of any story or incident shared here (unless specifically asked to by the commenter), and I'll ask others to do likewise.

A recent survey found that only 25% of Black Americans were planning to get the COVID-19 vaccine. As a primary care physician, I've been talking about the vaccines with my patients for over a month now and helping them navigate all of the myths and misinformation so they can make the most informed choice possible.

For my Black patients, those discussions have a specific historical context that has to be acknowledged and addressed; this long history of medical research abuse against Black Americans.

In this article, and with no small amount of trepidation, I take a look at that history, discuss the ongoing healthcare disparities that have placed an increased burden from COVID-19 on Black communities and the need for equal access to the new vaccines, and most importantly, share a list of resources from Black physicians, scientists, and public health experts.

Why Would Any Black American Trust These New Vaccines? Black Americans face a double-edged sword. Longstanding healthcare inequities and neglect of Black healthcare needs places Black communities in a position of heightened vulnerability to the COVID-1…