Montco Town Hall: 'COVID-19 Vaccines And The Black Community'

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA — An upcoming virtual event will discuss a perceived lack of trust in the coronavirus vaccine in local Black communities around Montgomery County.

County Commissioners Val Arkoosh and Ken Lawrence will be joined by numerous African-American community leaders at the town hall, which will stress the safety, efficacy, and importance of the vaccine.

"As Montgomery County continues to roll out COVID-19 vaccine clinics, local leaders are concerned about the lack of trust and resistance to the vaccine across Black communities even though they are three times more likely to die from the virus, due to disparities in healthcare and certain underlying health conditions," event organizers said in a statement.

It's a concern that's been echoed by state officials as well, with Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine noting that outreach was already underway in many African-American communities statewide.

The event will be held on Thursday, Jan. 21 at 7 p.m. Residents can participate in the event through Zoom; preregistration is suggested and available online here.

Other speakers at the even include Dr. Ala Stanford, founder of the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium, Reverend Marshall Mitchell of Salem Baptist Church, Reverend Charles W. Quann of Bethlehem Baptist Church, and Reverend Alyn E. Waller, with Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church.

A live stream of the event will be available on Montgomery County's Facebook page.

A similar town hall was held online on Martin Luther King Jr. Day by State Rep. Napoleon Nelson and Arkoosh.