DENVER — The Colorado Vaccine Equality Taskforce (CVET) announced it began its work this week focusing on outreach efforts to Black, Latinx and Native American communities.
CVET said its mission is to get facts about the COVID-19 vaccine to people, including how it can help protect their families and communities.
The taskforce was formed in the fall to support vaccination in communities of color.
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Due to the disparate impact the novel coronavirus pandemic has had on those communities, "due in large part to systemic inequities fueled by past and ongoing racism," CVET said it shifted its focus to COVID-19 vaccination efforts.
"Across the country, communities of color have suffered significantly higher case, hospitalization and death rates than their non-ethnic White counterparts," CVET said.
CVET said its goal is to ensure 80% of all Colorado adults who are Black, Latinx or Native American get vaccinated by the fall.
“I’m confident that when our communities get factual information about the importance of the COVID-19 vaccines, they will choose to take it to protect themselves and their families,” said Dr. Oswaldo Grenardo, a family physician and a taskforce co-chair.
In response to polling data that shows people who are Black, Latinx or Native American may be less likely to take the vaccine, CVET said taskforce members have launched a speaker's bureau and are planning to conduct community outreach.
Outreach efforts will be directed toward many different groups including civic organizations, faith communities and health care settings.
“I simply don’t think the polling is right. It is one thing to ask people about hypothetical vaccines, and another to offer them real hope for protecting their families and ending this pandemic. I know, because I have seen it, that people of color across the state have already gotten the vaccine. And that includes me,” said Dr. Yadira Caraveo, a taskforce co-chair and a State Representative. “I have also seen great willingness from people of color across our state to come forward and do what they can to end the pandemic from volunteering to be part of the vaccine trials to everyday activities like wearing a mask and keeping distance from those outside their household.”
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