In Washington, there’s a gender gap when it comes to who is getting vaccinated. In Washington right now, just over a quarter of the population is fully vaccinated. Of those fully vaccinated, about 57% are women, and about 43% are men. The state is working to tighten the gender gap.
“That is a significant difference,” said Michele Roberts, with the Washington State Department of Health. “Women are traditionally the health care decision-makers in families and more likely to seek out health care on a routine basis.”
Dr. Ali Mokdad, with the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, is not concerned about the disparity yet. He said you have to look at how the vaccine was rolled out.
“The way we set it up, it is more likely to impact women because women are more likely to be medical staff, medical nurses, doctors. Women are more likely to be teachers, and women are more likely to be caretakers,” said Mokdad.
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He also said there are more women than men because women live longer.
Mokdad said it is important to take another look in two months — when the vaccine has been made available to everyone for a longer period of time. He also said men are expressing more vaccine hesitancy, so it is something experts are watching closely.
The city of Seattle is making it easier to get vaccinated at the vaccination clinics in Rainier Beach and West Seattle. Starting April 22, if you’re over 60, you can walk up to get vaccinated without an appointment. If you’re 16 and older, you can get vaccinated without an appointment if you bring someone over 60 with you who needs the shot.
Cox Media Group
