Covid-19 devastated this small city. Volunteers are going door-to-door to ensure people are vaccinated
The last 12 months have been tolling for Linda Harris, who lives in a small Southwest Georgia city hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
“I’m tired of losing grandparents, grandmamas, granddaddys and some of our small children, too.”
Back-to-back funerals and a marathon proved to be deadly, as the virus quickly spread throughout Albany, Georgia. The predominantly Black city quickly became a hot spot early in the pandemic.
As demand for the coronavirus vaccine continues to outweigh supply, the city has adopted a new approach to get the most vulnerable vaccinated.
Safe and Sound: SWGA Black physicians concerned about racial disparities in vaccination participation
Safe and Sound: Racial Disparities and the COVID-19 Vaccine By Tesia Reed | February 12, 2021 at 11:39 AM EST - Updated February 12 at 11:39 AM
ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - There’s a push to get more African-Americans vaccinated across Southwest Georgia. Dr. Derek Heard (Source: Phoebe)
Dr. Derek Heard with Phoebe said only around 5,000 Black people in Albany have received the vaccine.
African-Americans make up almost 75 percent of the roughly 74,000 people who live in Albany.
Heard said he knows there’s some hesitancy from past medical experimentation like the Tuskegee Experiment. Heard said he understands the fear but added things have changed.