Trustworthiness, Not Trust: How Systemic Racism Impacts COVID-19 Vaccine Receipt

Abstract

To illuminate the forces of structural racism influencing COVID-19 vaccine receipt, we developed a conceptual model that recontextualizes trust and presents potential pathways to address structural racism. Our model emerged from Chicagoland CEAL, a partnership of community and academic experts collaborating to encourage COVID-19 vaccine uptake for communities of color. We concluded that systemic factors influenced by racism contribute to an overall lack of trustworthiness in vaccine-affiliated institutions. We highlight the need to recenter discussions of COVID-19 vaccination on our system's trustworthiness rather than mistrust and suggest using the model to test pathways to close racial gaps in COVID-19 vaccination.