Antrell Tyson (Image source: HHS.gov)
COVID cases are still on the rise, and according to the CDC, infections have risen by over 46% in Georgia in the past week. Health professionals are deploying more resources to help educate the community about how to stay safe during this surge. Rolling out spoke with Antrell Tyson, the Region 4 director for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. He will be attending the Celebration Bowl’s Coca-Cola Fan Experience on Dec. 17 to discuss the importance of health equity and COVID-19 vaccine access.
What is the mission of the We Can Do This COVID-19 Public Education campaign?
The campaign is to vaccinate people as we get closer to the holidays. We partner with many local health agencies and community-based organizations in select cities to continue educating various communities on the updated vaccine. We’ve also partnered with HBCUs as a part of the Stay Well HBCU tour, where we set up pop-up events at HBCU games, helping to reach and educate our people on the importance of vaccination.
What can visitors expect at the pop-up experience this weekend?
We will have information available for those who want to learn more about the updated vaccine. If you’re ready to go ahead and get the shot, we will give them out there on the spot. The main thing is, it’s free of charge. All you have to do is bring a photo ID. You can also bring your COVID vaccine card to make it easy. But if not, don’t worry; we will update you after you get your shot.
Can you share some insight on plans to reduce health disparities in underrepresented communities?
There’s a lot of misinformation about the vaccine, and I know a lot of it came early during the pandemic. We were rushing to find a solution to curb the infection rates, but now that we’ve been a few years into this pandemic, we know the impacts of you not being vaccinated versus those having a vaccination. The updated vaccine that we’re providing is a vaccine that protects you against the current omicron variant and the original COVID-19 variant. We want to ensure this campaign continues through the holidays; people know that the vaccine is free and widely available, so there are no disparities in access. We are working around maternal health and quality health care in Atlanta to ensure people are aware of it.
