Page 10 - Engagement Task News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Clergy step up to lead COVID-19 vaccination effort within Black communities Justine Coleman © Getty Images Clergy step up to lead COVID-19 vaccination effort within Black communities Black clergy are stepping up across the country to help make the COVID-19 vaccine accessible in communities that have been disproportionately hurt by the pandemic. As several states struggle to close racial gaps in vaccinations, faith leaders are taking the reins as trusted figures in Black communities. Some are teaming up with government officials to encourage people to get their shots and to ...

Coronavirus in Jacksonville: What you need to know for Friday, Feb. 5 11:20 a.m. | Photos: First day of vaccinations at the Clanzel Brown Senior Center on Friday, Feb. 5. Residents lined up starting at 5:30 a.m. Friday, February 5, 2021, outside the Clanzel T. Brown Senior Center COVID-19 vaccine site on Moncrief Road in Jacksonville, Florida. 9:25 a.m. | Senate clears way to pass COVID relief, Biden to huddle with Democrats President Joe Biden will meet with House Democratic leaders and deliver remarks on the economy on Friday as his administration presses Congress to pass his $1.9 trillion...

Curry's announcement drew praise from Edward Waters College President Zachary Faison Jr. He is a member of the Statewide Coronavirus Vaccination Community Education and Engagement Task Force, a grass-roots coalition that is urging state and local leaders to reach out to Black residents who have shown the highest degrees of reluctance about getting the vaccine. "This is so desperately needed in our community," Faison wrote in a response to Curry's tweet. Black residents account for about 30 percent of Duval County's population, but just 12 percent of county residents who have received th...

Task force calls for COVID-19 vaccine sites to expand to minority communities Updated:  Tags:  This comes as Gov. Ron Desantis expands the number of vaccines going to grocery store giant Publix. Church leaders say the governor and Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry aren’t doing enough to reach underserved communities with the vaccine. As of Tuesday, more than 1.3 million Floridians had received their first dose of a vaccine. A report shows that only 66,000, or just under 5%, are Black. “Those numbers are dismal, disturbing, and depressing,” said Reverend Dr. R.B. Holmes. They are now work...

Jacksonville's COVID-19 vaccine rollout has failed to address the needs of Black and other people of color, many of whom are suspicious of the rapidly developed drug because of long-held mistrust of the health care system, according to local Black leaders. In a recent letter to Mayor Lenny Curry, they asked that the number of vaccination and testing sites be expanded, "ensuring that communities of color within the city are adequately covered." They also requested more vaccine-related education and a panel of public and community leaders to set local vaccination priorities, among other thin...