DC: Some Seniors Still Have Not Received Vaccine- Accessibility Issues, Overreliance on Social Media

NPR, April 16, 2021.

Anyone over the age of 16 who lives or works in the District is now eligible for a coronavirus vaccination. But as public health and community leaders embark on the campaign to get the general population vaccinated, D.C. is still struggling to get shots to local seniors, who have been eligible for months. The problem is especially acute in areas of the District with higher numbers of Black and Brown residents. In majority-Black Ward 8, for instance, just 40% of seniors have been fully vaccinated, compared to 60% of seniors in wealthier, whiter Ward 3.

Overall, about 50% of D.C. seniors have been fully vaccinated.



Advocates say the disparity is a symptom of the longstanding lack of investment in those neighborhoods, including inadequate access to technology, information, and transportation. "I think it's unfair to expect people to want to participate and get to the level of herd immunity when for decades...with this system that we set up [people] felt like they were shut out," says Salim Adofo, a Ward 8 advisory neighborhood commissioner. "Nobody cared to get them engaged or involved. And now we're in this space."

That dynamic, Adofo says, is exacerbated by what he thinks is an overreliance on social media to distribute information about the vaccine rollout — particularly when it comes to seniors, who may not own a smartphone or have a reliable internet connection. "I think that the city would be best served if they could employ some more grassroots tactics and just knocking on doors, being out in the community and just talking to people to try to get them to get registered, as opposed to heavily relying on social media," he says.

D.C. has a number of initiatives designed to reach people where they are. The Senior Vaccine Buddies program has met more than 1,000 seniors in person to help them navigate the pre-registration process and schedule appointments online. The Faith in the Vaccine initiative, which partners with local houses of worship to get information out and host clinics, has given shots to 2,900 people, with plans for new clinics in future. The D.C. Housing Authority, along with DC Health and medical partners, has vaccinated more than 2,500 residents in DCHA-owned properties and DCHA customers in Wards 5, 7 and 8.

The District had plans to create a mobile vaccination unit, aimed at getting shots to seniors who are homebound. That's on hold now, however...

More, https://www.npr.org/local/305/2021/04/15/987638190/as-d-c-opens-vaccine-eligibility-some-seniors-have-still-not-received-shots