Governor admits problems with vaccine rollout in Latino and Black communities
February 22, 2021
Gov. Gavin Newsom acknowledged Sunday that state and local health officials have stumbled in distributing the COVID-19 vaccine equitably among Latino and Black communities in California. Speaking at a mobile vaccination clinic in Inglewood, Newsom said the state needs to “do more and do better” to provide outreach and set up vaccine sites directly in the communities that have been hit hardest by the virus.
State Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Gardena) spoke at the event, asserting that the main barrier to vaccinating more people in the Black community is lack of access, not fear of the vaccine.
“It’s an awareness issue,” he said, noting that a recent vaccination clinic at Kedren Community Health Center in South Los Angeles seemed to draw more people from outside the area than from within the neighborhood.