By Zainab Zaman
Mayor John Tory announced a $6.8 million Black Community COVID-19 response plan to decrease the spike of infection rates and provide funding for health agencies in Black Communities. The City of Toronto is also addressing the problem of vaccine hesitancy among Black Torontonians who are much more adversely affected by the pandemic.
On Wednesday, the new action plan as part of the TO supports: Targeted Equity Action Plan, was announced to enhance support for Black communities, the response is a result of new data which shows Black people of African and Caribbean descent represent 26% of Toronto’s COVID-19 infection cases, regardless of making up nine percent of the city’s population.
The city has joined forces with community agencies and experts to arrange support for immunization in Black communities.
The response plan is made up of 12 community organizations to reinforce public health recommendations, mental health supports, and mobile testing services, to the top ten neighborhoods that make up the highest percentage of COVID-19 cases and Black communities.
“The city is trying to do all it can to help people who are being disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 through working with community partners to get more testing in Black communities that are being affected with COVID-19,” said Don Peat, Executive Director of Communications and Strategic Issues Management.
Peat says the collaboration with the Black Scientists’ Task Force on Vaccine Equity will help reduce the risk of disease transmission and hospitalization.
“We trusted community organizations to help get the word out on testing and the importance of testing so that we can help people isolate, get better and not spread the virus,” said Peat.
The city has also created the Black scientist's task force to tackle vaccine hesitancy.
Members of the task force include Dr. Akwatu Khenti, an expert in anti-Black racism, Black mental health, and the adaptation of mainstream health interventions to African and Caribbean cultures.
Canada’s top Black scientists are part of the task force that will focus on major concerns around pandemic measures, including testing and vaccine acceptance in Black communities. A final report is set to present public health recommendations through the expert’s findings by April 30.
“The report will be important because it will help guide the work the city is doing around vaccination and how to encourage people to get vaccinated, part of the report is speaking to the Black community and listening to scientists from the Black community to make sure it’s a community-generated report,” said Peat.
During Black History month, the task force will host a series of free virtual town hall meetings on the effectiveness of the vaccine and how it works. The first event will be held on February 13, 2021, and will continue into March.
Comments