Exclusive: Nearly a fifth of enrollees in Pfizer, BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine study are Black or Latino - executive

FILE PHOTO: People gather in downtown amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Chelsea, Massachusetts, U.S., May 20, 2020. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

CHICAGO/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Nearly a fifth of 11,000 people enrolled so far in a 30,000-volunteer U.S. trial testing a COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer and German partner BioNTech <22UAy.F> are Black or Latino, groups among the hardest hit by the coronavirus virus pandemic, a top Pfizer executive said.

"Between Latinx and Black or African American populations, we're running at about 19 percent or so," Dr. Bill Gruber, Pfizer’s senior vice president of vaccine clinical research and development, told Reuters in an interview.