ATLANTA — As vaccine trials continue for COVID-19, there is a major effort to have more minorities participate. Doctors say it’s vital that the most affected populations are represented.
Channel 2′s Lauren Pozen spoke with Emory infectious disease expert Dr. Carlos Del Rio, who says it can be hard to enroll minorities in this trials.
Moderna, one of the developers in the lead for a vaccine to prevent the virus, slowed down enrollment in its large clinical trial last week. The developer wants to make sure enough minorities most at risk for the disease are represented.
“If and when we have a vaccine ready, if you didn’t have enrollment of minorities, then people are going to say ‘Why should I put the vaccine in myself?’ The reality is we need minorities to be the first in line for the vaccine,” Del Rio said.
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Del Rio says talking with people and getting them comfortable with the study is the first step. He works with local Black and Hispanic churches along with community-based organizations to help spread the word.
“The goal is to get about 30 to 40% minority participation about 60% over the age of 65,” said Santiago Marquez with the Latin American Association.
The Latin American Association is one of the groups Del Rio says he’s worked with to help spread aware of COVID-19.
Marquez told Pozen that there’s roughly a million Latinos in the state and about half reside in the metro Atlanta area. Marquez said COVID-19 education is a priority in the community.
“In many instances people may not be as trusting of government agencies or officials,” Marquez said. “There’s a process of educating and letting folks know, ‘Hey it’s OK. This is the purpose for why it is happening.’”
If you would like to find a trial to sign up for, more information can be found here.
Cox Media Group
