COVID-19 has taken an exceptional toll on the Black community, according to state health officials. In New York State, Blacks account for 13% of COVID-19 deaths outside of New York City, though they represent only 9% of the population.
“COVID killed Black people at twice the rate of white people,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said during a briefing yesterday. “That is a fact. It is a fact that should make us uncomfortable. It is painful to say,” he said.
The Rev. Al Sharpton appeared with the governor at the briefing via video and underscored what he called “a big challenge with skepticism in our communities about the vaccine.”
“Many in the African American community don’t trust the vaccine because of past abuses like the Tuskegee experiment… like the disgraceful treatment of Henrietta Lacks, like forced sterilization of women in Puerto Rico and in the South,” Sharpton said.
“But this vaccine is different, and we’ve had to get out there and say that,” Sharpton said. “We are working around the clock to making people sure in our community that the vaccine is safe and effective, and everyone should take it when it’s their turn, because that’s how we get everyone back to work and see our families and friends safe and together,” Sharpton said.
Learn about the COVID-19 vaccine this evening from a panel of experts in a webinar hosted by the Suffolk County Office of Cultural Affairs, the Suffolk County African American Advisory Board and the Suffolk County Chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women.
Panelists for this event are: Dr. Dilys Whyte, pediatrician at Good Samaritan Hospital; Dr. Jedan Phillips, associate dean for minority student affairs, Stony Brook Medicine; Dr. Adam Elshamy, internist at Kings County Hospital, and Deputy County Executive Vanessa Baird-Streeter.
The panelists will answer questions about the vaccine’s safety, effectiveness and distribution.
The webinar will take place at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom. Registration is required. Register here.
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