By Scott Alonso, Public Information Officer, Contra Costa County Office of the District Attorney
On Thursday, March 25, Contra Costa County Supervisor Federal Glover and District Attorney Diana Becton will host a webinar town hall for the community focused on COVID-19 and the Black community. Local leaders will join them from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. to review their experiences of getting the vaccine. Health experts will also participate in the town hall to convey how critical the vaccine is to stop the virus and save lives.
Vaccine numbers in the Black community locally are lower compared to their white counterparts. For example, in the city of Richmond as of March 15 only 20 percent of residents had received their first dose. In the city of Pittsburg, that number is as low as 18 percent. Overall, only 14,427 Black residents have received one dose of the vaccine.
The panelists during the town hall will review the latest medical information about the vaccine, how all three vaccines approved for use are safe and effective and will take questions from community members.
A recent joint statement from public health leaders across the Bay Area underscored the importance of getting vaccinated: “What we can say with certainty is that all three vaccines provide levels of protection that are comparable to some of the best vaccines we have for other serious infectious diseases for which we routinely vaccinate people.”
Members of the town hall panel include:
- Nicola Ifill Fraser, Ed.D., MPH, Public Health Educator (Town Hall Moderator)
- Bisa French, Chief, Richmond Police Department
- Tammany Brooks, Chief, Antioch Police Department
- Chris Farnitano, MD, Health Officer, Contra Costa County
- Ashley Vance, Contra Costa Regional Medical Center
- Sonia Sutherland, Contra Costa Regional Medical Center
To attend the virtual town hall you can use this link: https://cccounty-us.zoom.us/j/84291028781?pwd=Wm5OczZ5TkZ6T1RadEFaUEE4MnU0QT09
Leave a Reply