(CMR) The Bermuda Government said it would be doing more to target vaccine hesitancy in the Black community, which makes up only 14 percent of the people registered to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in the country.
Of the 7,729 people who had registered to get the vaccine, 6,647 indicated their race. Of the number of persons who indicated their race, only 14 percent are Black. Whites made up 63 percent of those registered.
Premier David Burt said vaccine hesitancy among the Black community was a complex legacy issue.
Burt said with Black people used for experiments over the years, many do not trust medicine. However, he said it was important to get the message out about the importance of taking the vaccine, which offers 95 percent protection from the coronavirus.
“It is a difficult thing. We are going to be real and honest – I think that’s the communication that the public want and deserve from their leaders, and we’re going to continue on that path…We are going to continue to encourage all segments of the community, but especially focus our message on places where there is vaccine hesitancy, as it’s important to get those numbers up,” the Premier added.
Burt said the aim was to have 19,000 residents receive two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine by the end of March.
Since March 2020, Bermuda has recorded 686 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 620 persons recovered and 12 deaths.
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