By Sarafina Wright, QCity Metro Despite high-profile efforts to curb the spread Covid-19, only 22% of Mecklenburg County’s Black residents are fully vaccinated against the contagious virus. Speaking to a virtual meeting of the Tuesday Morning Breakfast Forum, County Manager Dina Diorio said health officials are struggling to convince some sectors of the population to get the recommended vaccinations, which health officials say are safe and highly effective. Black residents make up about 34% of Mecklenburg’s population, according to current estimates. Countywide, about 46% of Mecklenburg’s adult population are fully vaccinated, and 49% are partially vaccinated. Considering all that’s at stake, Diorio said those numbers aren’t high enough. “The data that we’re seeing now is that people who are getting Covid now and dying from Covid are people who are partially vaccinated or not vaccinated at all,” she said. Diorio said that that while she understands that people have differing views on vaccines, the science is clear. For the Hispanic community who make up 14% of the county’s population only 11% percent are fully vaccinated, according to the county. “That’s something we need to be concerned about,” Diorio said. As of last Friday, the county had recorded 114,864 total Covid-19 cases and 985 related deaths since the pandemic began more than a year ago. Main Photo: Mecklenburg County Manager Dena Diorio appears on the Tuesday Morning Breakfast Forum on July 13. /Screenshot. QCITYMETRO.COM
County manager expresses concern as Covid vaccination rates stall in Black and brown communities
Mecklenburg County Manager Dena Diorio appears on the Tuesday Morning Breakfast Forum on July 13. /Screenshot. QCITYMETRO.COM