In Maricopa County, Latino residents have among the lowest rates of vaccination. While about one in three residents of Maricopa County identifies as Latino, this population makes up only 9% of the more than 1.4 million people who had at least one dose of the COVID-19 in the county, according to data reported by the Maricopa County Public Health Department. 

Across Arizona, only 13% of vaccinations have gone to Latinos, a group that accounts for 36% of confirmed cases, 31% of total deaths, and 32% of the population in the state, according to an April 14 analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation. The latest data posted by ADHS on Tuesday shows only 12% of vaccinations have gone to Latinos, and they account for 30% of confirmed cases.

“You do want to get as many people vaccinated as quickly as possible, but you have to have a balance in that approach — it can’t be the only approach,” said Layal Rabat, of the Asian Pacific Community in Action, a community health non-profit that serves Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander and other communities in Arizona.