Vice President Harris urges Black Americans: 'Let's not let COVID get us'

Cherylo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris urged Black Americans on Wednesday to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as data shows Blacks and Hispanics lagging behind in inoculations.

“Let’s not let COVID get us. Let’s get the vaccine instead, right?” Harris said in excerpts from an MSNBC interview.

“We know Black people are disproportionately likely to contract the virus and die from it,” Harris said. “We know when you look at who the frontline workers are, who is the most at risk disproportionately. We are talking about people of color.”

Blacks and Hispanics have been particularly hard hit by COVID-19 with a disproportionate number of deaths, and public health officials have broadly called for equity in vaccine distribution.

Harris, the first Black and Asian U.S. vice president, noted that Black small businesses were also being affected, with 40% going out of business.

“Let’s not let COVID get us. Let’s get the vaccine instead, right?” Harris said in excerpts from an MSNBC interview.

“We know Black people are disproportionately likely to contract the virus and die from it,” Harris said. “We know when you look at who the frontline workers are, who is the most at risk disproportionately. We are talking about people of color.”

Blacks and Hispanics have been particularly hard hit by COVID-19 with a disproportionate number of deaths, and public health officials have broadly called for equity in vaccine distribution.

Harris, the first Black and Asian U.S. vice president, noted that Black small businesses were also being affected, with 40% going out of business.

Two-thirds of the people served by community health centers live in poverty, 60% are racial and/or ethnic minorities and nearly 1.4 million are homeless, the White House said.

In outreach to Black Americans in New York on Wednesday, the state’s governor, Andrew Cuomo, appeared at the York College mass vaccination site with Black clergy members.

Bishop Calvin Rice of the New Jerusalem Worship Center in the New York City borough of Queens said he had been vaccinated without incident.

“This site is being opened specifically for our community - Every tube that’s available for vaccination, you need to come and get it,” Rice said.

“We’ve seen what our communities look like fighting COVID without the vaccine and it’s painful,” he added. “I believe the vaccine is safe. It is the best tool to protect ourselves.”