UMMS holds town hall to address vaccine concerns from minority groups

ON THIS DAY HONORING HIM, THEUNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND MEDICALSYSTEM HELD A TOWN HALL ONFINDING HOPE IN THE COVID-19VACCINE.

DOCTORS ALSODISCUSSED HOW THE PANDEMIC HASADVERSLY IMPACTED MINORITYPOPULATIONS.

WMAR 2 NEWS ABBYISAACS EXPLAINS.LOOKLIVE- WETHE PANDEMIC.

ALMOST 400THOUSAND AMERICANS HAVE DIED.AND THE VACCINE BRINGS HOPEFOR AN END.

BUT THERE ARE ALOT OF CONCERNS..

.ESPECIALLYFROM MINORITY POPULATIONS...THAT SURROUND THEM.

THE GOALOF TODAY'S TOWN HALLTO EASETHOSE FEARS.

It has been astruggle but dr. king told usto remember to keep the hopealive IN THE MIDST OF ADEVASTATING PANDEMIC, DOCTOSAY THAT HOPE IS THE VACCINE.BUT DISTRIBUTION IS ONLY ONEOF THE CHALLENGES, WHEN THEREARE LARGE POPULATIONS WHO DONOT TRUST THE SCIENCE BECAUSEOF HISTORY.

We have a historyin this country of performingharmful research oncommunities of color, ofexposing them to unnecessaryrisks of not fully explainingthe research that weand treating them as aexperiment without theiconsent ON MARTIN LUTHER KINGJUNIOR DAY, THE UNIVERSIúTY OFMARYLAND MEDICAL SYSTEM HELD AVIRTUAL TOWN HALL WITH FIVEPHSYICIANS, FOCUSING ON THEVACCINES AND ISSUES IMPACTINGINDIVIDUALS OF COLOR ANDMINORITIES.

What we have foundthatwas no difference in theeffectiveness of the differentpopulations differentdemographics THEY TOOKQUESTIONS FROM THE PUBLIC,ADDRESSING VACCINEEFFECTIVENESS, HOW IT WORKS,AND WHY THEY CHOSE TO GET ITTHEMSELVES.

You cannot getcovid 19 from these vaccines.the vaccines do not conatainany part of the live virusDOCTORS SITED THE ADVERIMPACT ON MINORITY GROUPSTHEY ARE 1 TO 3 TIMES MORELIKELY TO GET COVID-19 ANDHEALTH CO- MORBIDITIESINCREASE THE LIKELIHOOD OFCOMPLICATIONS.

PANELISTS ALSOAKNOWLEDGED THE SYSTEMICHEALTH AND SOCIAL INEQUITIES,LIKE LACK OF ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE, THAT MAKE THAT RISKWORSE... ADDING THOSE ISSUESNEED TO BE FIXED AND THEVACCINE BEING FREE REMOVES ONEBARRIER.

Our communities, ourblack and brown, our latinocommunity who carries so muchof this covid burden, 3 timesmore likely to die, it is soimportant, especiallyimportant that we are thereand getting that vaccine.

Icannot stress it enough We aresick of this.

We are overcovid.

The only hope we haveis this vaccine and folks Imuch rather take my chanceswith this vaccine than take mychances with a covid infectiTAG- THE PANEL WASNANSWER ALL THE QUESTIONSSUBMITTED, SO THE UMMS WEBPAGE CALLED“FINDING HOP”WILL BE UPDATED THROUGHOUT THEWEEK WITH INFORMATION, AND ITWILL ALSO AVAILABLE INSPANISH.FOR WMAR 2 NEWS IABBY ISAACSTEACHERS CAN NOW GET VACCINESIN MARYLAND TO C