With the spread of COVID-19 across the United States starting in early 2020, health entities across the country have tracked testing for the virus, number of confirmed positive cases, deaths related to the virus, and now, the distribution of the vaccines.
Starting in February 2021, the Harris County Commissioners Court’s Analyst’s Office produced a monthly report tracking the distribution and administration of COVID-19 vaccinations in Harris County.
Vaccination Rates by Zip Code
As of November 30, 2021, 54.4% (2,575,464) of Harris County residents were fully vaccinated—and 9.5% (449,674) of all Harris County residents were partially vaccinated. But the distribution of vaccines to residents across Harris County varies greatly from zip code to zip code.
This analysis shows the number of individuals per 100,000 residents who are fully vaccinated by zip code, as of November 30, 2021. The distribution of vaccines is presented per 100,000 residents rather than as a raw number of residents fully vaccinated by zip code to adjust for the wide variation in the number of residents per zip code in Harris County (from as few as 862 residents in zip code 77010 to as many as 122,814 residents in zip code 77449).
For each zip code, the following metrics are also reported for context: median income, Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) score, and total COVID-19 related deaths.
Social Vulnerability by Zip Code
Social vulnerability describes a community’s ability to weather a disaster, natural (such as a hurricane or disease outbreak) or human-made, and prevent human suffering and financial loss in the event of disaster. Social vulnerability scores, developed by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considering poverty, access to transportation, and housing, help leaders and policymakers better understand the anticipated impact of a disaster.
SVI rankings are based on percentiles ranging from 0 to 1 (with higher values indicating greater vulnerability). SVI data is often presented using quartile classification. This analysis utilizes CDC’s SVI classifications as follows: 0-0.25 (lowest vulnerability); 0.25- 0.5 (moderate low); 0.50-0.75 (moderate high); and 0.75-1 (highest vulnerability).
How to Read the Data Viz
The orange circles on the map below represent the 15 zip codes with the fewest number of fully vaccinated individuals per 100,000 residents. Zip code 77336, which includes the unincorporated community of Huffman in Northeast Houston, has the fewest number of individuals per 100,000 residents fully vaccinated (35,830 per 100,000 residents). The median income for the zip code 70013 is $68,596, and the social vulnerability index score is 0.30.
The green circles on the map below represent the 15 zip codes with the greatest number of fully vaccinated individuals per 100,000 residents. Zip code 77019, which includes parts of Houston’s River Oaks, Hyde Park, and Fourth Ward neighborhoods, has the greatest number of individuals per 100,000 residents fully vaccinated (86,972 per 100,000 residents). The median income for zip code 77019 is $116,207, and the SVI is 0.09 (the highest SVI score of the zip codes analyzed).
Read the full Annual COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution in Harris County memo here.