Mass Vaccination Clinic In Loudoun Focuses On People Of Color

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — Mass vaccination clinics in Loudoun County this weekend aim to address vaccine inequity and hesitancy. The clinics, a joint effort by the health department and African American clergy members, will vaccinate more than 800 people on Saturday, March 20.

Saturday's mass vaccination clinics are part of a broader COVID-19 Vaccine Equity Pilot Program through which the health department and churches plan to vaccinate more than 2,000 people of color by April 3. The pilot program is also focused on reducing stigma and vaccine hesitancy in communities of color.

In Loudoun County, vaccines have been disproportionately administered to white residents. So far, more than 29,000 white residents have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine, according to data from the Virginia Department of Health. Meanwhile, 5,767 Latinx residents, 2,856 Black residents, and 5,133 Asian residents have received a vaccine. The county's data does not include race/ethnicity data for 30,065 people.

The gap between vaccine distribution for white residents and residents of color is just as stark on a per capita basis: 12.5 percent of white residents have been vaccinated, compared with 5.9 percent of Asian residents, 8.5 percent of Black residents, and 10 percent of Latinx residents.

Across the country, people of color are more likely to be hospitalized or die from COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Black and Latinx people are three times more likely than white people to be hospitalized because of the virus. They are also twice as likely to die from the virus.

Clergy members in Loudoun County helped establish the pilot program to address these inequities. Pastor Michelle Thomas is the founder of Holy & Whole.

"The black church and faith community can’t pray COVID away," Thomas said in a news release. "We must actively do our part to break the vaccine stigma, address the issues of hesitancy and increase access to COVID-19 vaccines that will save lives."

Already 800 people have preregistered for this weekend's clinics, the news release said. It is the largest vaccination event for people of color in Loudoun County.

The clinics will be held at historic African American churches in Sterling. One event is at the First Baptist Church of Sterling 21449 Potomac View Rd., Sterling, VA 20164. The other is at Oak Grove Baptist Church, 22870 Dominion Ln., Sterling, VA 20166.

To register for the vaccine, residents should sign up for the state's preregistration list. Anyone can preregister for the vaccine, regardless of their current eligibility. The Loudoun Health Department pulls from the state's list to schedule vaccine appointments.

People without internet access can call the state's vaccine hotline at 877-829-4682.