Vaccinated at the Ball: A True Story About Trusted Messengers

As communities work to contain the coronavirus outbreak, the risk for emergency responders to contract the illness is high; but in Massachusetts, departments are putting new practices and plans into place to address this. From changing the way police respond to calls, to creating a backfill system if or when officers are quarantined, the departments are working to keep both their responders and their communities healthy.

As a grass-roots response to assist vulnerable populations amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, communities around the world are using social media to distribute supplies, services, and advice. One such group on Facebook, the Bristol Community Care - Covid-19 Mutual Aid, has gone viral with thousands of members seeking to help or receive help.

Local staples in Latino neighborhoods like carnicerias, liquor stores, tienditas, and gas stations are standing strong on the front line to continue to provide essentials people need during the coronavirus. As other supermarkets are ransacked, these businesses make sure to remain well-stocked with policies that limit the number of items and customers. Locals testify to the importance of having a corner store that anchors the community together during this crisis.

A Californian "food rescue" nonprofit called White Pony Express is shifting their usual processes to alleviate food insecurity to accomodate the change that COVID-19 has brought to their distribution systems. The group is partnering with the Palabra de Dios Community Church to distribute boxes of fresh groceries to families who need it. The work is run by volunteers—members of the community who want to pitch in during the crisis to help their neighbors.

A coalition of local groups in the Cowichan region focused on the welfare of vulnerable populations during COVID-19 opened five tenting sites that have provided people experiencing homelessness with safety, meals, and access to service. The temporary solution, pending the opening of 100 units of housing to open in 2021, has uncertain financing after its initial $392,000 phase. But, almost immediately, the well-managed sites have had a visible effect: many fewer people wandering the streets.

Most states in the U.S. are struggling to effectively and efficiently distribute the COVID-19 vaccine, while "West Virginia became the first state to finish round one of the two-dose vaccine series in nursing homes." The key to the state's success included preemptively preparing a vaccination dissemination plan and partnering with independent and chain pharmacies.

In an effort to help get accurate information to the communities who are being disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, a program called Live Chair Health has started to train barbers "on chronic issues that disproportionately affect Black communities" and teach them "how to have conversations with their clients about the diseases." Aside from providing COVID-19 information, the initiative has helped patrons access primary care and address other medical issues such as high blood pressure.

The Ajo Center for Sustainable Agriculture has helped the town of Ajo in Arizona distribute affordable and nutrient-dense food to the community after the coronavirus pandemic created a significant financial strain on many families. Additional support has come from the town's participation in the Environmental Protection Agency's program Local Food, Local Places which "provides technical support and expertise to help towns leverage food systems to boost economic development."

A mobile "strike team" comprised of workers from Contra Costa County, local home health agencies, advocates, and nonprofit groups is helping seniors living in assisted-living facilities to get access to the Covid-19 vaccine. Although the team is small, they have been able to help more than 800 seniors across 50 facilities get their first shot.

To discourage the spread of misinformation about the Covid vaccine and decrease vaccine hesitancy in minority communities, religious leaders and other influential people in Britain have launched campaigns to dispel concerns. According to a survey about overall willingness to take the vaccine, the efforts – which include posters, sermons, a help line, and WhatsApp chats – have been working.