Due to a successful COVID-19 vaccination rollout by the Biden administration, the country is well on its way to completely reemerging. However, due to substantiated mistrust stemming from historical medical abuse, the Black community is lagging behind other ethnic groups in vaccination numbers. This month, the CDC reported 60% of white people have been given at least one vaccine dose. Black people are at 9%.
To combat this, Facebook recently announced its new ambitious initiatives to combat the barriers some communities face and help them get vaccinated.
On June 30, Facebook’s Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sanberg announced new efforts to drive vaccine equity, including a mobile vaccine truck, popup mobile vaccine clinics in cities across the country, and more.
Kevin Vance created a program of folk music for KALW, A Patchwork Quilt, in October 1991. He grew up in Berkeley during the 1960s and 70s and spent his years learning in public schools, community colleges, bookstores, libraries, and non-commercial radio stations, as well as from the people around him. When he s not on the radio, then he s selling books, taking care of his family, listening to music, entering stuff into a computer, or taking a class.
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For them, the shot means a chance to return to normalcy.
“Pretty excited and grateful to have the opportunity to get vaccinated, I think it’s important to keep us and our family safe,” said Jorge Daboub.
With eligibility expanding to a larger demographic, officials at the East Palo Health Center admit that providing a shot for everyone could be challenging.
“Yes, with fewer supplies and more people eligible, there is going to be that challenge of how do we serve everyone,” said Luisa Buada,
She is the CEO of Ravenswood Family Health Network, which was in charge of Thursday’s drop-in clinic which administered anywhere from 300 to 400 shots to anyone 16 or older who showed up.
The visit was particularly exciting for Luisa Buado and her team from Ravenswood Family Health Center in East Palo Alto.
Throughout the pandemic, she has worked to provide access to covid testing, and now vaccinations, to underserved communities and now, she gets some help from Facebook.
“We have to improve equity, we have barrier free vaccine clinics. We make sure they meet the eligibility requirements which have now all been waived except you have to be 18 or older,” Buado said.
The vaccination site at Facebook particularly serves three nearby communities, which are East Palo Alto, and the communities of North Fair Oaks and Belle Haven.