“What we noticed within the community is, honestly, people seem fatigued of hearing about Covid,” said Iliana Barreto, a community organizer with the Granite State Organizing Project (GSOP) who coordinates the group’s vaccine efforts at the Centro Latino de Hospitalidad drop-in center. Barreto told the NH Business Review, “It’s been two years, going on three years now, and they just feel like they just want to get over it. Unfortunately, that’s not the reality we’re living.”
As COVID-19 restrictions ease in New Hampshire and across the country, community and health organizations like GSOP continue to push for COVID testing and vaccinations by pounding the pavement, going where the people are to build trust.
Barreto said much of the GSOP’s work continues to revolve around debunking misinformation.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in December, nearly 50 percent of unvaccinated adults said they were concerned about possible side effects. The survey showed that about 28 percent of unvaccinated adults also wanted to wait and see if it was safe. About 42 percent said they don’t trust the vaccine.
Sarah Jane Knoy, executive director of the GSOP, said many people are still worried about the false claim that the vaccine impacts fertility.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there is currently no evidence that any of the COVID-19 vaccines cause fertility problems in women or men.
SUGGESTION: NHLN Opinion+: Sarah Jane Knoy
Knoy said the group employs volunteers and community outreach workers, who speak the native languages of the people they are trying to reach.
It’s about connecting people with similar lived experiences with each other.
Last month about 49 percent of Hispanic-Latino residents have at least one shot in New Hampshire, compared to about 56 percevt of white residents, according to state data.
About 58 percent of Granite State residents are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, compared to roughly 65 percent of the country.
Publisher’s Note: The story is an aggregate from NH healthcare organizations try new strategies to reach the vaccine-hesitant.
New Hampshire Latino News amplifies the work of others serving the Hispanic-Latino community.
