The Biden administration is seeking help in the next phase of pitching the COVID vaccineExBulletin

Nurses will receive the COVID-19 vaccine in March in Ridgeway, Virginia.

Andrew Caballero-Reynolds via Getty Images / AFP

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Andrew Caballero-Reynolds via Getty Images / AFP

Nurses will receive the COVID-19 vaccine in March in Ridgeway, Virginia.

Andrew Caballero-Reynolds via Getty Images / AFP

The Biden administration is moving to a new stage in its campaign to vaccinate as many Americans as possible with the coronavirus. The coronavirus is not always the best messenger for the government to persuade people to fire.

That’s why we’ve grouped hundreds of local and national groups into what’s called COVID-19 Community Corps, recruiting people for friends, family and neighbors to make reservations and get vaccines.

Last night, surgeon General Bibek Mercy led the Zoom Call for those who applied for help. “I want to reiterate that this is not a government-led initiative,” he said.

“It’s about creating a community where people can celebrate what they’re doing,” Mercy said. “A place where you can share best practices. You can inspire each other as you learn.”

The country is approaching the point where vaccine supply exceeds demand. This week is the only time that all states have lifted restrictions on who can be vaccinated, and just under 50% of adults have not yet been vaccinated.

Dr. Ashish Jha, Dean of Public Health at Brown University, said people who were vaccinated shortly after going out were on par with those who were waiting overnight at the Apple Store for their latest iPhone.

However, those who have not yet been vaccinated include those who cannot or do not jump over many technical hoops. Others have questions or concerns about getting vaccinated. But Jha said it was a mistake to hesitate or resist them.

“I don’t think so, so that’s a big problem,” Ja said. “In fact, I think there are many people who are completely happy to get the vaccine, but aren’t anxious about it and aren’t sure they need it terribly.

Disparity between rural and urban areas

Access to vaccines can be difficult in some rural areas NPR analysis of county-level vaccination data It shows signs of new regional and urban disparities in vaccination rates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But List of founding members The government’s COVID-19 Community Corps are dominated by progressive organizations and raise the question of how the government plans to reach conservatives and rural people. Poll reveals greater vaccine repellent..

Government officials are aware of the limits of their influence, said Terry Moore of the American Federation of Agriculture.

“For their honor, when the White House reached out, they didn’t necessarily make them the strongest voices in some local communities, and they needed their strong credible voices. I admitted that, “Moore said.

With 6 million members and 2,800 county affiliates, the Department of Agriculture actively participated and supported. They joined Mercy’s Zoom Call and shared what works.

“In Idaho, one of our members, a potato farmer, hosted a clinic on their farm and vaccinated 350 people in a matter of hours,” Moore said.Agricultural Affairs Bureau Share these stories With their members in the hope that it will inspire others to do the same.

Improving access in rural areas is also important, said Alan Morgan, the group’s part of the community corps and chief executive officer of the National Rural Health Association, who sent the issues proposed to the Biden administration. Told.

“The provinces are not a small version of the city,” Morgan said. “It’s a unique community in itself, not all middle-aged white men.” Some rural areas have a large population of Latin Americans and blacks.

“The message in the local context is,’Forget what the federal government is telling us,'” Morgan said. “What do we need to do to keep our family, friends and loved ones safe as a community? What do we have to do as a community? And that is a bigger change in communication than what is currently underway. . “

Connect to someone you know

That is the approach Dr. Ada Stewart is taking. She practices at the Community Health Clinic in South Carolina and is also President of the American Academy of Family Physics. She says transportation is a major issue for her local patients. They cannot drive to the mass vaccination site for 2 hours. There is also the issue of trust.

“I had a patient who said,’Oh, I’ll wait until Dr. Stewart gives me my vaccine. I don’t trust anyone else,'” Stewart said.

Her clinic is currently in sufficient quantity and if the patient comes to the clinic for another reason, she can usually be vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine on the spot. Some of her patients have questions about getting vaccinated or are on the fence, but she says it often helps to say that they are vaccinated.

And when it comes to success stories, there are often no federal fingerprints at all.In Greenbrier County, West Virginia, vaccination of people has become a big part of the community as a whole. Volunteer efforts..

“We haven’t lost our dose yet,” said Julian Levine, a community worker at the West Virginia Osteopathic School of Medicine, who works closely with Greenbrier County health officials.

Sometimes that means running the vaccine clinic on Saturday extra late. Also, in some cases, county health officials and their staff took it to a local restaurant to avoid wasting it.

At the beginning of the pandemic, the school jumped in to help the county. Later, when vaccines became available, they shot their arms, mobilized volunteers, and helped build a system for technical assistance. But after all, Levine accepts a personal touch.

“Really, it connects with people we know one-on-one,” Levine said.