Communities Rush To Vaccinate Younger African Americans As Some Areas Reinstate Mask Rules

As health officials sound more urgent warnings about the Delta variant, communities around the reluctant to get the shot.

“Because of where I work, bringing home different diseases to the kids concerns me. And, A’Tayvien has asthma so anything to help me keep my job and protect them … I’m for it.” said DeShana Moore. “I had the coronavirus this time last year … now, I’m vaccinated. And if the vaccine becomes available for my other two younger children, they’ll get it also.”

Moore’s 12-year-old son received his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine over the weekend at a community health event his grandmother helped organize.

“First of all, if all of us are vaccinated, we are much safer,” said Katherine Moore. “So, I was doing the clinic for my family and my community.”

Moore added that almost 20 people were vaccinated by nurses and pharmacists at the event which also included games, food, and a speaker. Most of those vaccinated were young, the demographic officials say are fueling the latest wave of the coronavirus.

For weeks officials in Arkansas, Missouri and a growing number of states have pointed to low vaccination rates as the reason the Delta variant is surging. But as the variant has become the dominant strain in America, larger cities have also begun to see an uptick in cases especially among the unvaccinated. In the Kansas City area, 10 public health departments recommended on Friday that unvaccinated residents wear masks.

State and national leaders are focused on containing the rising number of cases in the weeks leading up to fall. In the San Francisco Bay area officials are asking fully vaccinated residents to wear mask indoors, citing the Delta variant and rising COVID-19 cases.

Concerns about the Olympics

The Tokyo Olympics start later this week after the pandemic postponed the Games last year. And already the long-feared possibility that the coronavirus could disrupt competition is becoming a reality as more athletes and officials are testing positive upon arrival in Japan. Each day exposes the challenges related to staging one of the world’s largest events during a pandemic.

But as thousands gather from hundreds of countries, efforts on a much smaller scale to keep family, friends and neighbors safe from the Delta variant are ramping up.

According to Moore, who helped with the weekend vaccination clinic, “This was the first time we had a community event with everyone in town participating. It was inclusive, and we made some calls and were willing to go door-to-door, too. The most important step is keeping as many people safe and healthy as possible.”