Faith Leaders Get Covid-19 Vaccine To Encourage Vaccination

On Tuesday, a diverse group of faith leaders gathered inside the Washington National Cathedral in order to receive their Covid-19 vaccinations and encourage other people to get the shots.

The Associated Press reported that it was an interfaith event for “vaccine confidence” and focused on connecting with communities of color, black, and Latino communities in order to help members of those demographics that have been impacted so heavily by the pandemic feel more comfortable getting the vaccines.

“Over 50% of all cases and almost half of all deaths are in persons of African American, Latino or Hispanic background, American Indian and Pacific Islanders,” said Dr. Eliseo Pérez-Stable, director of the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities.

“Now, much has been said about, ‘Well, the risk is greater because there’s more disease, more diabetes, more obesity, more heart disease,’” Pérez-Stable said. “But the reality is that the infections are more likely because people live in more crowded conditions. They work in jobs that do not allow the privilege of teleworking. They cannot self-isolate at home.”

The event included a moment of prayer for people who have died from Covid-19 and the first faith leader to receive the vaccine was Reverend Patricia Hailes Fears from Fellowship Baptist Church.

The executive director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, Melissa Rogers, said that working within faith communities is important in order to push out the vaccine because a lot of people trust religious leaders and might feel better about the idea of getting a shot inside a religious setting rather than somewhere else.

Dr. Anthony Fauci also attended the event. The director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases affirmed that the vaccines can be trusted and have gone through lots of testing. AP reports, “He also sought to debunk some myths and misperceptions around the vaccines, such as that they supposedly could alter a person’s DNA or be a vehicle for implanting microchips for surveillance.”

“We often get asked, can you get COVID-19 from the vaccine? … It is impossible to get COVID-19 from the vaccine,” Fauci said. He added that the massive vaccine rollout has happened “with no significant adverse events.”

Communities of color have seen higher rates of coronavirus deaths than other demographics. AP reports that black residents make up less than half of the Washington, D.C., population, but account for almost three-fourths of Covid-19 deaths in the area. But despite the devastating rates, older residents who live in predominantly black neighborhoods and areas with higher poverty are reportedly not receiving the vaccinations in large numbers.

Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, said, “Unfortunately many who could most benefit because they are at highest risk of serious and even life-threatening infections are still holding back, worried about stories they hear, skeptical, unimpressed by how government has previously shown interest in their medical care.”

Collins stated, “The church can play a leading role by educating, modeling and encouraging that there is nothing to fear here and there’s much to be gained…That’s what we are here to do today. Houses of worship are houses of hope.”

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