Be #VaccineReady this National Minority Health Month

"Every April, we observe National Minority Health Month by raising awareness about health disparities that affect people in racial and ethnic minority groups. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to highlight these inequities. This National Minority Health Month, learn how to be “vaccine ready” to help protect yourself and others. 

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to highlight inequities that impact the physical, social, and emotional health of people in some racial and ethnic minority groups. These groups experience disproportionate burdens from COVID-19. Long-standing systemic health and social inequities have led to barriers at all levels of society that put many people, including many people from some racial and ethnic minority groups, at increased risk of getting sick and dying from COVID-19.

COVID-19 poses additional challenges for people who lack healthcare resources and access to culturally relevant information about getting a COVID-19 vaccination. Getting vaccinated against COVID-19 is an important thing you can do to help protect yourself and others and bring this pandemic to an end.

Take steps to make sure you, your family, and your community are “vaccine ready.”

• Get the facts about COVID-19 vaccines. Everyone should have access to trustworthy vaccine information. CDC’s website explains COVID-19 vaccine efficacy and safety and provides information for specific groups. Learn more about the different types of COVID-19 vaccines.
• Share accurate vaccine information. Confidence in the vaccines leads to more people getting vaccinated, which leads to fewer COVID-19 illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths. Help your friends and family address their uncertainty with clear and understandable information. CDC’s Vaccinate with Confidence strategy reinforces CDC’s activities to increase confidence in COVID-19 vaccines by building trust that patients, parents, or providers have in recommended vaccines;​ providers who administer vaccines; and processes and policies that lead to vaccine development, licensure, manufacturing, and recommendations for use.​
• Get vaccinated when you are eligible. Learn how to register for vaccination. Once you are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, you can begin to do many of the things that you had stopped doing because of the pandemic.
• Practice COVID-19 safety measures. Because of the new COVID-19 variants and many people are not yet vaccinated, it is critical to continue taking precautions to prevent COVID-19 in many situations, including in public. Wear a mask, stay six feet apart, avoid crowds and poorly ventilated spaces, and wash hands often..."
  Vaccine and minority health