Doctors at Guthrie Encourage the Black Community to be Vaccinated Against COVID-19

Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that the number of African Americans vaccinated against COVID-19 is far less than White Americans.  

Experts say the hesitancy could be a result of historical injustices and mistrust in the health care industry among the black community.   

During the final week of Black History Month, African American doctors at Guthrie are hoping to encourage patients of color to receive the vaccine and protect themselves against COVID, which has proven to be more deadly among the black population.  

Dr. Victor Kolade, Internal Medicine, Guthrie said, “It’s a pandemic that has not excluded people of any race, if anything, in different pockets of the country, we’ve seen where it has been rather vindictive against black populations and therefore, we want a situation where we can protect everybody.” He added, “We want to build herd immunity as quickly as we can for all people.”  

Dr. Paulette Lewis, Internal Medicine, Guthrie said, “It’s really important that we all get vaccinated so that we can limit illness and death.”