Volunteers in Alexandria, Virginia, are going door to door to inform and encourage individuals to register for the coronavirus vaccine.
Low-income neighborhoods have been hit hard by the pandemic, and numbers show the vaccine rollout has been slow among people of color. Data also shows that people in these neighborhoods have not been registering for their shot.
Volunteering with the health department, local pastor Lou Whiting said they're bringing reassurance to the Black and brown community that the vaccine is safe.
We're making it easier for you to find stories that matter with our new newsletter — The 4Front. Sign up here and get news that is important for you to your inbox.
We're making it easier for you to find stories that matter with our new newsletter — The 4Front. Sign up here and get news that is important for you to your inbox.
"We figure if you can see our faces, it'll squash some of the fears and apprehension," Whiting said.
Department of Health data shows Black people have received about 13% of the shots given while Latinos have received only 5.5%. More than 71% of the shots have gone to white people.
Many residents expressed their concerns and doubt in the virus, saying they are “nervous” to get the shot.
“It's just a lot of hearsay, so I don't really know about it,” one man said.
The volunteers are continuing to canvas grocery stores and neighborhoods to build trust in the vaccine — one knock at a time.
