One Brooklyn
December 11, 2020
“For months, we’ve watched as the tale of two cities has become a tale of two pandemics, with Black and Brown lower-income communities experiencing a disproportionate amount of deaths, hospitalizations, and cases due to the coronavirus. The failure to address these disparities, which have roots in deeper inequities that existed long before the pandemic hit, has understandably left many in these communities concerned and uncertain about being vaccinated.
“Last Saturday, I stood with Council Member Cornegy and the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) at Interfaith Medical Center to urge the City to prioritize communities that had been hit hardest by the virus, after its initial distribution to frontline workers and long-term care residents. As we stated, the best way to counter widespread and justified skepticism regarding the vaccine is to deputize credible messengers in these communities to communicate with residents in a language they understand. Today, I am glad that the City has laid out a plan that heeds some of these calls. But there are still a number of unanswered questions as to how the vaccine will be distributed, including who will be prioritized within the 27 communities that have been identified as being next in line for the vaccine, the timeline for distribution, and more. The work in front of us is extremely daunting, but we must work diligently to repair trust in these communities, and to finally address the underlying inequities that created this crisis in the first place.”
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