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Webinar aims to ease COVID-19 vaccine fears
There is a lot of work to be done to convince the public that COVID-19 vaccines are safe. Surveys show fewer than half of Black Americans plan to get one.
DALLAS - COVID-19 vaccines continue rolling out but public health and political leaders are concerned about the tepid trust of the vaccine across Black communities.
Some studies show a little over 40% of African Americans would consider taking the vaccine. Yet Blacks are three times more likely to die from the virus.
"There’s some skepticism within the African American community in terms of taking this vaccine," said Dallas City Councilman Casey Thomas.
It’s skepticism because history acknowledges mistreatment and experiments on people of color by medical science. It led to advances in biomedical research but without knowledge or consent and at the expense sometimes of Black lives.
"We want to put people’s concerns away and help them to understand why it’s important and why they need to go ahead and take advantage of this when they’re eligible," Thomas said.
The councilman and the city’s former health czar, Dr. Kelvin Baggett, are hosting a focus group webinar about the vaccine fears in the Black community.
"It’ll be this Thursday at 3:30 p.m. The city of Dallas will be doing it through Webex so individuals can hear the dialog. We’ll also have a nurse who’s already received the vaccine who will be a part of the discussion," Thomas said.
The discussion will hopefully build trust so those who need it most might take a shot at virus protection.
Thomas said he hopes it’s the first of what will be many webinars addressing the fears about COVID-19 vaccines in the Black community.
COVID-19 Vaccines in the Black Community Meeting
When: Thursday, Jan. 7 @ 3:30 p.m.
Event Link: bit.ly/VaccineFocusGroupDallas
Event Password: byFvYKFN598
Event Number: 146 479 7783
To join by phone, call 408-418-9388 and enter the event number 146 479 7783.