The state's vaccination drive is going well, but white residents are still getting COVID-19 shots at roughly twice the rate of their Hispanic peers.
Juan Lopera is co-chair of the Latino Equity Fund at the Boston Foundation. He said access to appointments and vaccination sites, combined with vaccine hesitancy, is contributing to the low rates. He said many Latinos in the state are teenagers or younger, and as the the roll-out shifts to vaccinating those aged 12 to 15 years old, this focus needs to shift as well.
"We need to work closely with the head of the household and decision making, which is the mother," Lopera said. "We have to figure out a way to get the right information in the hands of the household decision maker. In the Latino community, that's the mom."
Meanwhile, as the roll-out continues, the state is planning to redirect more doses to smaller clinics that can reach these communities, like community health centers. Gov. Charlie Baker has said that many of the state's mass vaccination sites will close by the end of June. We heard from Michael Curry, president and CEO of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, about what this shift will mean for community health centers across the state.
Click on the audio player above to listen to the full episode.
Segments:
Juan Lopera - 2:02
Michael Curry - 16:41
