Showing posts with label African americans and Coronavirus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label African americans and Coronavirus. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 16, 2020

NAACP TO HOST VIRTUAL TOWN HALL ON NAVIGATING THE COVID-19 VACCINE

On Wednesday, December 16 at 8 pm ET / 5 pm PT, the NAACP will host a virtual town hall series entitled UNMASKED: COVID Vaccines. Over the last year, the NAACP has presented virtual town halls that focus on how the coronavirus pandemic impacts African Americans. In the next episode of the series, congressional leaders, guest speakers, and health experts will join Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP, to provide the latest research information, slowing the spread, vaccine availability, and distribution.

“As we’re hearing more about the potential end of COVID-19’s devastating grip on the lives of Americans and people around the world, African Americans are voicing understandable concern and skepticism about the vaccines and treatments being developed,” said Dr. Marjorie Innocent, NAACP Senior Director of Health Programs. “The dynamic speakers in this installment of our COVID: Unmasked town hall series will provide clear information to help us understand vaccine development, approval, availability and distribution.”

It is no secret that the coronavirus pandemic has ravaged communities across the country, particularly the Black community and frontline workers. The lack of consistent leadership and coordination on a federal level from the current administration led to state and local governments taking on varied approaches to combat an unprecedented public health crisis. This town hall will include champions at the forefront of stabilizing the crisis and ensuring a healthy recovery.

Callers can participate via interactive toll-free conference call that will stream LIVE on the NAACP’s website naacp.org. To join via phone, dial (866) 757-0756 and to join the conversation on social media by following @NAACP. Click here to RSVP.

Moderated by correspondent and author, April Ryan, the town hall will include:

  • Cory Booker, U.S. Senator, New Jersey
  • Patrice A. Harris, MD, MA, American Medical Association, Immediate Past President
  • Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, Co-Chair President-Elect Biden Advisory Board on Coronavirus
  • Kizzmekia Corbett, Ph.D., Senior Researcher, National Institutes of Health
  • Dr. Gigi El-Bayoumi, Professor, George Washington University
  • Donald J. Alcendor, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Meharry Medical College
  • Derrick Johnson, President & CEO, NAACP

 

Saturday, May 23, 2020

80% of African Americans say Trump has done 'fair' or 'poor' job handling Covid-19

A majority of African Americans hold a negative view of President Trump and the federal government's handling of the coronavirus crisis, according to a new poll.

The poll from the African American Research Collaborative (AARC) commissioned by the NAACP found that 80 percent of surveyed black Americans held a "fair" or "poor" view of the way Trump has responded to the coronavirus outbreak, while 19 percent had a positive view.

The survey also found that 59 percent held a negative view about the federal government's response to the crisis, while 39 percent gave the federal response an "excellent" or "good" rating. By contrast, more than six in 10 respondents said they would give a positive rating to their governor and mayor.

When asked further about how much they trust various news sources to present honest information about the pandemic, respondents were most likely to give high marks to doctors and nurses, as well as local health officials and black elected leaders. Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, also scored high marks.

Asked to rank individuals or news sources on a scale of 1-10 measuring trustworthiness Fauci scored 6.93 on average among poll respondents.

CNN scored 6.18.

MSNBC scored 6.10.

Fox News scored 4.55.

Trump was last at 3.05.

[SOURCE: THE HILL]

Wednesday, April 15, 2020

Senator Tim Scott Says Getting COVID-19 Information To African Americans Will 'Save Lives'

During an interview on NPR's Morning Edition, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) stressed the importance of federal government outreach to African Americans about preventive measures like wearing face coverings and hand-washing. "It's important for us to have a specific and unique campaign to communicate the importance of following the protocols within the African-American community," the senator said.

Listen to his comments below: