Walgreens partners with state to get COVID-19 vaccine to minority communities, where need is greates

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — The state of Georgia says it has made a real effort to get COVID-19 vaccines into Atlanta’s minority communities.

Now, Walgreens is partnering with three predominantly Black metro Atlanta churches to do the same thing.

But Gov. Brian Kemp said there’s still a lot of work to be done as he toured a new mass vaccination site at St. Philip’s AME church in Decatur Friday.

Walgreens said it had excess doses from its partnership with the state to vaccinate people in long-term care facilities, so it’s now partnering with three predominantly Black churches to get the word out and get shots in arms.

“People who go to church here, people who live in the neighborhood, they can trust St. Philip’s AME Church, and they trust the process. They know the church wouldn’t be doing this if we didn’t have a safe and effective vaccine,” Kemp said.

On the other side of town, Channel 2′s Richard Elliot watched as Larry Gooch got his first dose of vaccine at Jackson Memorial Baptist Church.

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Rep. Nikema Williams was also there to watch along with Atlanta City Council member Andrea Boone. Williams told Elliot that getting out the word through the churches is crucial to instilling trust in the vaccine.

“This is what it’s like when the community comes together and all levels of government have a stake, because as President Biden told us last night, we’re all in this together,” Williams said.

Kemp made it a top priority to get the message to minority communities across Georgia, but now he worries that message is not reaching rural areas of the state.

“We are seeing vaccine hesitancy, really. As the pharmacists and I were talking about Macon south, and a lot of that is dealing with white Republicans, quite honestly, so we need to continue to message that,” Kemp said.

The governor told Elliot if demand stays high in metro areas like Atlanta, Columbus and Savannah, and remains low in rural areas, they’ll adjust the distribution.

But he’s hoping rural Georgia will get the message and trust the vaccine.

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Cox Media Group