BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Louisiana’s historically Black college system Friday launched a statewide coronavirus vaccination campaign trying to encourage minority residents to get the shots.
The Southern University System said it created the “Don’t Wait. Vaccinate!” campaign because communities of color are disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 disease, but are getting vaccinated at lower rates than white people.
“As the only historically Black university system in the country, located right here in Louisiana, it is our obligation to ensure that African Americans and other ethnic minorities are well informed about the dangers of COVID-19 and the significance of getting vaccinated,” Southern System President Ray Belton said in a statement.
Southern’s campaign comes as Gov. John Bel Edwards expanded vaccine eligibility to anyone age 16 and older.
The outreach effort will include social media promotion, public events and advertising. Southern’s Baton Rouge campus will hold a drive-thru vaccination event Saturday with Ochsner Health, and a mass vaccination event across nine locations including all Southern campuses will be held April 10.
University leaders are enlisting alumni, faith-based associations and social organizations to encourage people to get vaccinated.
More than 1.1 million people in Louisiana - 24% of the state’s total population - have received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to state health department data. Nearly 655,000 people have been fully immunized. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two doses; the Johnson & Johnson vaccine requires only one.
Of those who have received at least the first vaccine dose, about 27% are Black in a state where African Americans make up one-third of the state’s population.
Louisiana continues to lag behind many other states in vaccine distribution. The state is starting its own grassroots campaign modeled after get-out-the-vote efforts in elections to encourage vaccination, provide information about the shots and help people sign up for appointments.
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