Vaccine hesitancy remains an issue in Medford despite thousands of locals receiving doses to date.
MEDFORD
– With 50,000 vaccine doses already administered to Medford residents
in 2021, the city is on its way to a return to normal business and
recreation activities, but more work is needed to get remaining
residents registered and vaccinated.
As
of April 27th, over 22,000 Medford residents have been fully vaccinated
and nearly 35,000 have received their first dose of either the Pfizer
or Moderna shot. According to those statistics, the city is ahead of the
state with nearly 40 percent of its population fully vaccinated, and on
pace with the national average. Over 60 percent of Medford residents
have received at least one dose, which is ahead of the state figure at
about 50 percent. You can view Medford’s full vaccine data, broken down
by age, ethnicity, and gender, at www.medfordma.org/covid-19-vaccine-information.
Despite
this enormous progress, vaccine hesitancy remains a critical issue and a
roadblock to getting businesses and social activities back up and
running at a pre-pandemic pace, the Medford Board of Health reports.
“Our
goal is to address any concerns or misinformation and educate the
public on vaccine safety and public health guidelines while
acknowledging the roots of the hesitancy toward the Covid-19 vaccines,”
said MaryAnn O’Connor, Director of the Medford Board of Health. “The
vaccines approved by the FDA are a marvel of modern medicine and the
more people who become vaccinated, the quicker we can move past the
pandemic and begin to get back to a more normal way of life.”
According
to data from the city, over a third of white residents have been
vaccinated compared to only 5 percent of Asians, 3 percent of Black, and
3 percent of Hispanics. Due to this inequity, Mayor Lungo-Kohen and the
city’s Board of Health are focusing on areas of education and
transparency to address the growing chasm in vaccination rates. The city
will be producing a video PSA with community leaders, faith-based
organization, city workers and residents recounting their experiences
living through the pandemic and the importance of getting vaccinated.
“It’s
our job as public servants to keep our residents safe, and these
vaccines are a critical tool in achieving that mission,” said Mayor
Lungo-Koehn. “While it’s encouraging that so many residents have taken
advantage of vaccine clinics here in Medford and throughout the region,
the data continues to show that vaccine rates particularly among
residents of color are lower, and we remain committed to doing all that
we can to provide education, resources, transportation, advice, and any
other support needed to increase vaccine rates across our community. The
Board of Health has done so much work to date, but we are refocusing
our efforts to provide even more support and resources as needed.”
In
addition to those individuals who are hesitant to receive vaccinations,
the city is tracking other barriers to accessing the vaccine, such as
transportation to and from regional vaccination sites, accessibility of
registration resources due to language, computer literacy, or other
barriers to registration, in order to better address vaccine hesitancy.
While the state’s 2-1-1 line is available to all for registration
assistance, there are local options here in Medford. Staff at the
Medford Council on Aging and the West Medford Community Center are
available by phone to assist with registration and/or transportation,
and the Medford Housing Authority can provide direct assistance to
residents of MHA buildings.
For
those in the community who are homebound, the city has embarked on a
mobile vaccination initiative to get doses into the arms of those
residents, their caregivers and people living at home with them. To date
249 homebound residents have received at least one dose and 188 are
fully vaccinated, Mayor Lungo-Koehn said.
For
more information on the city’s response to the pandemic, statistics on
COVID cases and vaccinations, as well as the most up to date guidance,
visit medfordma.org/coronavirus-information. To register for the vaccine visit https://vaxfinder.mass.gov/.
Medford city services are available to all residents, regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, age, language ability, economic situation, or immigration status.
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