State Will Help Framingham With Coronavirus Vaccine Awareness

FRAMINGHAM, MA — Framingham is one of 20 communities in Massachusetts that will get state help to raise awareness about the coronavirus vaccine, and help people get to vaccine clinics.

State officials announced the program on Tuesday aimed at communities "most disproportionately impacted by COVID-19." Although cases have dropped in recent weeks, Framingham had some of the highest infection rates in the state during the second wave this winter.

The new program will aim to improve confidence in the safety and effectiveness of coronavirus vaccines. The state will send "vaccine ambassadors" to Framingham and other communities to host forums on the vaccine, and the state will help translate vaccine information into different languages. The program will also allow Framingham to hire people for door-knocking campaigns about the vaccine.

Health officials are concerned that people of color may be hesitant to get the vaccine due to racist medical practices in the past. Massachusetts does not break down vaccine rates by race, but other states have seen whites vaccinated at higher rates than other racial groups.

Meanwhile, coronavirus has been worse for non-white groups. In Framingham, 3,458 residents whose first language is either Spanish or Portuguese have tested positive since the beginning of the pandemic. About 2,007 English speakers have tested positive in that same period, according to data released by the city. The groups with the highest death rates in Framingham are Latino, Asian and Black residents.

"I am thrilled the city of Framingham was included in the partnership because the virus has greatly impacted us," Framingham Mayor Yvonne Spicer said Tuesday. "I look forward to this effort having an exponential impact on getting residents vaccinated."

Framingham is offering local vaccine clinics each Saturday to eligible groups, which right now includes people over 75 and their caretakers. The state is set to offer vaccinations to more groups in phase two of the rollout, including people over 65, some frontline workers and people with two or more special medical conditions.