州和地方官员强调疫苗在粉碎Covid-19中的关键作用

在休斯敦的一个社区之一，由冠状病毒，州和地方公职人员与德克萨斯大学健康科学中心的领导人（UThealth）和德克萨斯大学系统的领导人一起在周六聚集在UT医师Multispecialty-Jensen，袭击了最大的袭击。Beplay体育中心，1月23日，鼓励所有人卷起袖子并接受Covid-19-19疫苗。

在新闻活动中，那是livestreamed on Facebook,社区领导人强调,菌苗e, paired with the continued wearing of masks, social distancing, and handwashing, is essential to ending the pandemic. It is especially essential in minority communities disproportionately affected by the virus.

Serving as an example to their constituents, Texas Sen. Borris Miles, state representatives Senfronia Thompson, Harold Dutton, Garnet Coleman, and Alma Allen, and Harris County Precinct One Commissioner Rodney Ellis received their second dose of the vaccine while journalists documented the proactive measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

代表詹森社区的美国国会女议员西尔维亚·加西亚（Sylvia Garcia），德克萨斯州29岁，分享了她的个人经验，接受了她的第一个和第二剂，并表示有必要建立社区对疫苗的信任。

According to a recent survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 27% of the public remain hesitant to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, and 35% of Black adults, a group that has disproportionately borne the burden of the disease, reported they definitely or probably would not get vaccinated. Among the reasons cited were worries about possible side effects, a general mistrust in vaccines, and concerns they would get sick from the vaccine.

加西亚说，当她收到第一次剂量时，她甚至没有感觉到针。她说，有了第二次剂量，她的头痛和身体疼痛略有疼痛 - 短暂的不便，因为它可以避免对致命的冠状病毒的免疫力。

“We need to make sure that people understand the vaccine is critical in crushing this virus,” Garcia said. “If we don’t do that, as well as continue with testing, masking, social distancing, we will never win that fight.”

Thompson thanked UTHealth for its role in providing accurate, reassuring information about the vaccine and its safety, as well as doing its part to ensure that every single dose that is available is injected into the arms of those who need it most.

Like Garcia, Thompson said she didn’t feel the needlestick during the first dose of the vaccine, and the only side effect she experienced was minimal soreness in her arm. Thirty minutes after receiving her second dose, she reported she was feeling fine and was grateful to have boosted immunity.

汤普森说：“如果库维德打扰我，我的身体就会给它一个淘汰赛。”他补充说，那些有资格的人应该加入她接种疫苗。

迈尔斯说,为了结束大流行,75%of the population eligible to receive the vaccine must take it.

“It’s real simple,” Miles said. “It’s kind of like the lottery. You have got to play to win. You’ve got to take this vaccine to live.”

Ellis said people of color, particularly African Americans, may have lingering doubts about the vaccine’s safety. By receiving his first and second dose of the vaccine on camera for his constituents to see, he hopes to inject a reassuring message. “I want to let people know it’s safe. It’s important,” Ellis said following the news conference.

Giuseppe N. Colasurdo, MD, UTHealth president and Alkek-Williams Distinguished Chair, said access to health care – delivered in community clinics likeUT医生Multispecialty-Jensen– as well as access to the vaccine are crucial to saving lives.

“如果您想挽救数百万的生命，医学文献一遍又一遍地证明，只有一种工具可以打击致命病毒，该工具称为疫苗，” Colasurdo说。UT医师。

John Zerwas, MD, executive vice chancellor for health affairs at UT System and chief medical advisor to Gov. Greg Abbott on all COVID-19-related matters, acknowledged that limited vaccine supply is currently the single greatest challenge in Texas’ fight against COVID-19.

“We anticipate these supplies will increase over the next several weeks, and frankly it can’t get here fast enough,” Zerwas said. “But as soon as we get our opportunity to get our hands on (the vaccine), we’re going to get it out to places like this UTHealth clinic on Jensen Drive so we can get it into the arms of individuals who need it most.”

Uthealth– recently established as one of the state’s COVID-19 vaccine hubs – and its clinical practiceUT医生have begun vaccinating patients, including those in higher-risk, underserved communities, by invitation as vaccine doses become available. The university’s effort to vaccinate its students and employees also is ongoing.

参加周六活动的其他客人是州众议员Armando Walle，以及詹森诊所社区顾问委员会的成员，包括新伯利恒宣教浸信会教堂的牧师戴维·史密斯（David Smith）；哈里斯县卫生与社会服务总监Chara Bowie二号；和可可马丁内斯。

University representatives included LaTanya Love, MD, executive vice president of Student Affairs and Diversity at UTHealth and dean of educationad interim在McGovern Medical School at UTHealth;Eric Boerwinkle, PhD, dean of UTHealth School of Public Health; Luis Ostrosky, MD, professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases; George Delclos, MD, MPH, PhD, professor and Marcus M. Key, MD, Shell Occupational and Environmental Health Endowed Chair atUthealthSchool of Public Health;Andrew Casas, senior vice president at UTHealth and chief operating officer for UT Physicians; and Marlon Stewart, community practice manager at the Jensen clinic.

代表詹森地区的沃尔勒（Walle）感谢Uthealth和UT医生开设了一家将社区与医疗保健联系起来的诊所。他说，当他有资格接收疫苗时，他将与其他所有人保持一致，以在与Covid-19的战斗中发挥作用。

“At the end of the day, it’s important – especially for our communities of color that may be distrustful of these types of vaccines – that they take the vaccine, because the science proves its efficacy,” Walle said. “It’s going to save lives.”

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