In mid-April, Wellesley Institute reported that areas in Ontario with higher rates of COVID-19 had lower rates of vaccination, and that this pattern was greatest in the City of Toronto. Since the publication of that report, a follow-up bulletin described a movement towards greater equity, where the mismatch between vaccination rates and COVID-19 infection rates in Ontario seemed to be diminishing, particularly in the City of Toronto where the disparity was greatest. The change in equity of vaccination followed Ontario’s pivot in strategy which increased the proportion of vaccines available to hot spots, areas with highest rates of COVID-19 infection.
This paper revisits the topic of racial inequity, investigating whether associations between racial composition, vaccination rates, and COVID -19 infection rates have changed over time.