Research shows that vaccinations are a key step in ending the COVID-19, but the race to vaccinate is not as straightforward as it may seem.
As people in the Philippines line up at 2 a.m. for a chance at a shot in the arm, healthcare workers and community organizers in the U.S. find themselves trying to get Americans vaccinated amid hesitancy and misinformation.
Meanwhile, the wait for full approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration of the vaccine continues.
This week on Audacy's new weekly news podcast "Connect the Dots", host Lynda Lopez takes listeners on a deep dive into the grassroots efforts to get under served communities vaccinated, the legal concerns behind workplace vaccine mandates, and insight into the FDA approval process.
A nurse administers a Johnson & Jonson COVID-19 vaccination to a houseless person at Wayside Christian Mission on March 15, 2021 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Jon Cherry/Getty Images).Getty Images
Circle the City, a non-profit organization based in Phoenix, Ariz., helps to break down the barriers in access to the vaccine for the homeless population of Maricopa County. The organization's Community Liaison, Marty Hames, explained the specific challenges unhoused Americans face when trying to get their vaccines.
Rafael Velazquez, Associate Director of Social and Health Services at The Unity Council in Fruitvale, Oakland, opened up about hurdles his community faces in getting vaccines and how Indigenous people are often left out of the picture.
Also in this episode, Bill Cafaro, Chief Attorney of the New York City-based Law Offices of William Cafaro, discussed the legality of vaccination mandates; Dr. Nancy Pire-Smerkanich, Assistant Professor in the Department of Regulatory and Quality Sciences in the School of Pharmacy at USC went over the ins and outs of FDA approval for the vaccine; and Dr. Bob Wachter, Dept. of Medicine Chair at UCSF, shed light on what it will take for younger people to get vaccinated.
To learn more about the race to vaccinate as COVID-19 cases continue to rise, tune in to this week's "Connect the Dots."
