SUNDAY,MARCH 27 , 2022 .THEWASHINGTONPOST EZ RE C5
however,immunitywaned.
Guidedbythe CDC, countyoffi-
cials initially offeredoptional
booster shotstothe elderly and
the infirm beforeshiftingtack
and pushing to geteveryone
boosted. Barely athird of Latino
residents in Montgomery had
gotten theiradditionalshot
when omicron arrived.
In later months, thecounty
would blamethe federal govern-
mentfor “counterproductive”
messagingthatmadethe booster
seemless importantthanitwas.
At the most recent peakofcovid-
19 deaths, the mortalityrate
among residents who had not
beenboosted wasseven times
thatofthosewhohad.
Grace RiveraOven, afounder
of anonprofit thatservesimmi-
grant communities in Montgom-
ery, saidmanyofthe poor resi-
dents she works with haven’t
gotten boosted becausethey
can’t afford the time or are
unconvincedit’sworthwhile.
“Imagineyou’reworking two
jobsanddriving Uberonyour
timeoff,” she said.“To find time
in the dayfor ashot”is“justnot
doable.”
Reyes was due for his booster
in Decemberwhenhe developed
apersistentcough. Rodriguez
asked him to see adoctor,but he
resisted.“Latinomen are always
likethat,”Rodriguez thought to
herself at thetime.“Stubborn.”
She kept trying until one after-
noonin January when she was
cleaning aclient’shome and saw
Reyes leanagainst awall,his
eyes closed.She asked if he was
okay, and he shookhis head.Bythe timethe ambulancearrived,
Reyes was weeping. He couldn’t
see,hetoldhis wife.
“I don’t knowwhy she called
you,” Reyes said to themedicsas
theyheaved himontoagurney. “I
don’t wanttogo, please.” He
reached for Rodriguez. “Don’t let
themtakeme,”hesaid.
In the months beforehe fell
sick, Reyes had talked about
retiring in avillage outside
Choluteca,the placein Honduras
whereRodriguezgrew up. They
saved up money andbought a
small piece of land there. It was a
place theyownedfor the first
timeintheir lives.Theycould
raise goatsand grow avocados,
theytoldtheir children.
But Reyes didn’t makeitto
Choluteca.Bythe time he gotto
the hospital, inflammationfrom
covid-19 hadstarted to cripple
his vital organs, doctorssaid.
Reyes wasbrain dead within
hours. Twodayslater,Rodriguez
watched frombehind aglass
panel as nurses unpluggedhis
life support. He was 72.
Rodriguez sold the land in
Choluteca and emptiedher sav-
ingstopay for afuneraland a
gravesite.She no longerplans to
movetoHonduras or to retire
anymore. Without Reyes, she
said, she seesnopoint.Theracialdivide
Whenaradio show hostasked
Leonder “Rico”Jeromefor his
thoughtsonthe vaccinesduring
aroundtable with Blackbarbers
and health experts in June,Je-
romeanswered honestly thathe
was conflicted.Although he was there to dis-
cuss an initiativetoencourage
Black people to takethe shot,
Jerome,48, was torn between the
news he consumed on vaccine
efficacyand his distrustofthe
pharmaceutical companies that
developedthe shots.
“Being aman of ebony hue,
you’veseenthe Tuskegee experi-
ments, you’ve seenso manydif-
ferent things. To tell me you’re
not goingtobeparanoidis alie,”
Jerome saidonthe program,
adding thathewas notvaccinat-
ed. “Mypercentageshavebeen
getting highertoget” vaccinated,
he added, “but I’mstill deepin
prayer.”
Three monthslater,his symp-
tomsemerged. As slightdiscom-
fortdevolvedintoafever, his
lovedonesurged himto seek
medical help.Withinweeks,Je-
romewas placedonlife support
forpneumoniacomplications
from covid-19.
As Districtlawmakers and
residents tangled over the merits
of masking andvaccination man-
dates, Jeromespentthe next
three months in differenthospi-
tals,healing from surgerieson
his lungs and kidneys. Even
thoughhehad no underlying
healthconditions, doctors told
his sister,EbonyEllison,that she
should startmakingend-of-life
plans.Jeromehada3percent
chance of survival.
“Theysaid if he wasvaccinat-
ed, he would not be on life
support,” Ellison said,remem-
bering the conversations she had
withher brother about vaccina-
tion. “Hewould talk aboutsyphi-
lis and Tuskegee,but Ididn’t go
intoitwithhim. Tryingto con-
vince someone, especiallywhen
you’rethe youngestsibling,you
giveupthe fight.”
Health experts and advocates
in the Districtsay the caseof
Jerome is emblematic of the
vaccine hesitancyand distrust
they’vefrequently encountered
among Black residents,who have
been disproportionately affected
by the pandemicat everystage.
Black residentsaccountedfor
an overwhelming majorityofthe
more than 100 coronavirus
deaths over the last three months
in theDistrict, saidWayne Tur-
nage, deputymayor for health
and humanservices. Of those, 3
in 4wereunvaccinated, 1in5had
somedoses but lacked abooster
shot, and 9in10sufferedfrom an
underlyingcondition, such as
chronickidneydisease, diabetes
or highbloodpressure.
“When omicron came,and we
found you neededabooster,you
hadto almoststartover,”saidTuckson of the BlackCoalition
AgainstCovid.“There wasnot
onlyhardeningofmisinforma-
tionintoo muchof BlackAmeri-
ca andthe anti-vaccine commu-
nity, butwealso had peoplethat
weretired.”
ForsomeBlackresidents, he
said, vaccine distrustisinter-
twined with frustration over oth-
er issuessuch aspolice brutality,
racismand voterdisenfranchise-
ment. ForJerome and someof
his friends,thathesitation stems
fromthe country’sracisthistory,
includingleaderswho oncecon-
sideredhisancestors to be three-
fifths of aperson and the Tuskeg-
ee study.Thattrepidationhas
onlybeenintensified by postson
TikTok, Instagram and Facebook
thatraisedoubts overthe safety
of the vaccines.
TheDistricthas used amix of
financial incentivesand inter-
ventionstoreduce gapsinvacci-
nation rates. But Turnage
warned of a“tremendouslevel of
misinformation”across social
mediathatcontinues to influ-
enceBlackresidents.
“Thereare greatreasons to be
angryand bitter aboutTuskegee,
but the issue was people denied
access to drugs thatcouldhave
saved them. In this case,for some
oddreason,wedenyaccessto
ourselves to the drug that would
save us, as some type of protest,”
Tuckson said.
In December,asthe omicron
variant sentmore unvaccinated
residentsintocityhospitals, Je-
romewas released. Doctorsde-
scribed hisrecoveryasamiracle.
He feels morepressurenow to
getvaccinated, he said,but is still
undecided.Thelocationdivide
LarrySturgill, 62, knewmany
in his townwho haddiedof
covid-19,but even as cases
surged in his partofsouthwest-
ern Virginia, it never occurred to
him to getvaccinated. As he did
withother things beyond his
control, he put his trustinGod.
He barely had timefor his
family,working 12-hour days as
an accountant, and his primary-
caredoctorhad retired years
ago. Someofhis friends had
tested positive even after getting
vaccinated, whichmadeSturgill
skepticalof theeffectivenessof
the shots.
And whenhe was on YouTube
listeningtogospel music or to
sermons fromthe late Christian
evangelistBilly Graham,videos
sometimespoppedup of users
swearing that thevaccineshad
dangerous sideeffects.
Many others sharedhis view
in WiseCounty, wherelessthan
halfthe population was vaccinat-
ed whenomicronarrived.Stur-
gill’s wife hadn’t gotten the shot
and neither had hisyounger
brother,who lived across the
borderinTennessee but worked
withhim in Wise.
Scott Sturgill,49, usedTwitter
to follownewsonTennessee
football andoccasionallycame
across tweets thatmadehim
question the coronavirus vac-cines. Theusers behind these
tweets weren’t peopleheknew
and didn’t seemlikemedical
professionals. But whattheysaid
stuck in hishead anyway. When-
ever his wife, whohas asthma,
triedpersuading him to getthe
shot, he gave the sameresponse,
“I’ll thinkabout it.”
Virginia officials have strug-
gledoverthe pastyear to shore
up vaccinationrates in the rural
southwestregion of the state,
whereresidentstendto be sick-
er,more skeptical of government
and harder to reach.
Somehaveresponded to ap-
pealsfromlocal healthworkers,
saidBethO’Connor,chief execu-
tiveofthe VirginiaRuralHealth
Association. But such spokes-
people are rare. Swaths of the
region, includingall of Wise, are
federally considered“health
professionalshortageareas.”
TheSturgillbrotherswaited
until their coughs gottoo severe
to work beforevisitingthe
Health Wagon, amobile clinic.
Whentheytested positive for the
coronavirus, theytriedtorecov-
er on theirownuntilTyson,who
leads the clinic,called themeach
an ambulanceand insisted that
theygo.
It was thefirsttime either of
themhad ever beenhospitalized.
Scott stayed in isolationatPike-
ville MedicalCenter in Kentucky
for 16 days. Larrystayed for 10.
Drifting in and out of conscious-
ness, Larrysaid he thought
about his grandchildren,ages4
and 2. “KnowingthatImight not
be there for them,” he said one
recent afternoon,his voicestill
hoarse, “I can only describe as
tough.”
Scott cameout of the hospital
in worse shapethanhis brother.
He struggledfor weeksto walk
and speak,and doctors told him
the scarringonhis lungs was so
severe thathemight have trou-
ble breathingfor the restofhis
life.
“It’sreally messedmeup. It
really has,”hesaid in February,
wheezing as he took breaths
fromanoxygenmachine.Ifhe
could go backin time,he said, he
would getvaccinated. He
planned to do so oncedoctors
saidhecould. Hisbrother,how-
ever,hadn’tmadeuphis mind.
Even thoughsouthwestern
Virginia sawmore coronavirus
deaths in Februarythaninany
other month during the pan-
demic, vaccination rates in the
region continuetoshow only
incrementalincreases.
“Atthispoint, everyonehere
knows somebodywhohas died
of covid,”said Tyson, whohas
beenpleading withher patients
to getvaccinated. “I’matalossof
words to explainwhy peopleare
stillsoresistant.”
One afternoon in March, Scott
Sturgill gotatext messagefrom
his brother’s wife.LarryStur-
gill’s oxygen levels had plunged
again,she toldhim. They were
on their waybacktothe hospital.TeoArmuscontributedto this
report.Source:Washington,Virginia and Marylandhealthdepartments
JOHNHARDEN/THEWASHINGTON POSTAveragedailyinfectionsin the DMV from April 2020
throughFebruary 2022Infectionsacrossthe District,Marylandand Virginia peaked
duringthe omicronwave, data fromhealthdepartmentsshowApril
2020July Oct.Jan.
2021April July Oct.Jan.
20220
10,000
20,000
30,000 OmicronpeakDeltawaveMaryland death ratesbymedian household income
duringomicronwave
Deathratesaggregateby countyand calculated
per 100,000 residents50
25
75
0
$35k~50k $50k~75k $75k~100k$100k~150k84.4
38.4
24.8
69.369.3
ethnicityatany point in the
pandemic, according to data
from the Centers forDisease
Control andPrevention.South-
ern Californiarecordedacovid-
19 death ratetriple thatofthe
BayArea becauseoflagging
vaccination rates,the LosAnge-
les Timesreported. In theDis-
trict and surroundingstates, one
of themostvaccinated regionsin
the nation, about7,100 people
have lost their livessinceChrist-
mas.
Whiledata fromthesurgeis
stillbeingcompiled, analysis
conducted by TheWashington
Post foundthatrural communi-
tiesinVirginia suffered amortal-
ityratedouble thatofurban
communities.InMaryland, poor
families of colorbore the brunt
of the omicronwave. And in the
District, Blackresidents account
for 84 percentof covid-19 fatali-
tiessince the startofthe year,
despite making up lessthanhalf
the population.
Withnewvariantsofthe coro-
navirusonthe horizon, this pat-
ternofharmwill soonrepeat
itself,experts warn.
“You see someonerecognizing
in real time thattheir ownillness
could have beenprevented”and
“youfeelremorseful with them,”
saidDavid Marcozzi,anemer-
gencymedicinephysicianatthe
University of Maryland Medical
System,whichwas overwhelmed
withcovid-19patients during the
omicronsurge. “You wanttogo
upstreamto allofthe misinfor-
mation out thereand stop the
storythere.”
ReedTuckson, afounderofthe
Black Coalition AgainstCovid,
saidofficials andadvocates tried
for months to overcomedistrust
of the vaccines,but misinforma-
tion“put gas on afire thatwas
already outofcontrol.” He added,
“I cannot thinkof anything more
thatcouldhavebeen donethat
was not done. Contemporaryhis-
tory, combined withpasthistory,
we werepushed backon our
heels.”
Theclass divide
It started at arich person’s
bungalowinNorthernVirginia.
He was there to paint the walls,
and she was there to cleanthe
mess. He was55, tall andhand-
some with paint splattered
across his shirt.She was 40,
smilingand radiant even though
it had beenonly twodayssince
she hadarrived in the United
States fromHonduras. They flirt-
ed in Spanish.She calledhim
“papi.” Amonthlater,theywere
married.
By the timeJavierRamirez
Reyes metMariaRodriguez, he
had lostmostofhis family.Her
children andgrandchildrenbe-
camehis own, andtogether they
settleddowninthe Maryland
suburbs, firstinLangley Park,
theninGaithersburg.
Thecouple earned just
enough,$900aweek, to support
themselvesand six relatives in a
two-bedroomrental apartment.
They bickered sometimes,such
as overhis smoking habit,but it
was hardfor either of themto
stay upsetfor long.Heloved the
look on her face when he brought
her flowers. She lovedthe sound
of himsingingmariachi songs
after dinner.
Whenthe pandemic hit,Ro-
driguez pushed everyonewho
was eligiblein her family to sign
up for vaccinations,thoughshe
knewher husband,likemany
otherLatinoimmigrants, hated
seeing the doctor.Heonce pulled
out arottingtoothonhis own
insteadofvisiting adentist.
“When you go to the doctor,
that’swhen they find something
wrong withyou,”Reyes, anative
of Mexico, would say. Andbe-
sides, he would add,doctors
wereexpensive.
Reyes eventually agreed in
July to getthe Johnson&John-
son vaccine, partofalarger
success storyinMontgomery
County, awealthybut inequita-
ble suburbjustoutsidethe Dis-
trict.
Whilevaccineuptakeamong
Latinoresidents in the county
initiallytrailedthatofWhite
residents, outreach from local
officials,nonprofitgroupsand
individuals such as Rodriguez
helpedturn the tide. By August,
the vaccinationrateamongLati-
nosinMontgomerywas higher
thanthatofany otherdemo-
graphic group,including White
residents.
As the pandemicdragged on,
OMICRONFROMC1
Families face the aftermath of the brutal omicron surgeFAMILYPHOTO
Javier RamirezReyes, center,withwifeMariaRodriguezandher sonand grandchildren who
werevisitingfromHonduras.Thecouplesavedmoney andboughtasmallpieceoflandthere.
Butsince ReyesdiedinJanuary, Rodriguezsoldthe landandhasnoplans to move.EARLNEIKIRKFOR THE WASHINGTONPOST
ScottSturgillathis homein Tennesseewithaphoto of
LarrySturgill andhis grandson. Thetwounvaccinated
brotherswerehospitalized during theomicronsurge.SubscriberExclusivesAplumdeal: Free ticketstoFruitBatsonApril 23 at 9:30 Club
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