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After receiving the vaccination, patients wait under observation at the community vaccine clinic at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. (Kimberly Paynter/WHYY)
WHYY invites you to a town hall meeting where regional health experts and community leaders will discuss strategies and messages that could build trust in the vaccination process. Register here.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that 85-90% of Americans need to receive the COVID-19 vaccine for the U.S. population to reach herd immunity. However, polls show that roughly 40% of Americans say they will likely refuse the vaccine.
Experts have warned that communities of color, after years of being underserved by the medical system, have low trust in the vaccine. A Harvard researcher says to build trust in the COVID-19 vaccine, researchers, industry leaders, and policymakers should seek to include communities of color as equal partners in the research enterprise.
Tamara Russell, aka Revive P.O.C, hit the streets of Philadelphia to hear what residents are thinking about vaccine refusers.