Biden Recruits Black-Owned Barbershops And Hairdressers For Vaccine Outreach

President Joe Biden announced plans this week to recruit 1,000 Black-owned barbershops and hair salons to promote the nationwide vaccination effort.

‘Shots at the Shop’ initiative will allow owners of these shops to vaccinate their community throughout June.

“The Shots at the Shop initiative will invite participation from across the country, with particular focus on supporting shops in some of the hardest-hit localities still experiencing significant gaps in vaccination rates,” a White House fact sheet said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 62.8% of adults in the United States have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and 51.7% of Americans are fully vaccinated.

However, in that group, only  9% of the recipients are Black.

President Biden declared June as a month of action. The President’s goal is to get at least 70% of Americans across the country one dose of the vaccine by the fourth of July.

According to The Hill, 3 million people were vaccinated daily in April. That is nearly 2 million more than the current daily total. The daily vaccination average is 1.23 million.

Stephen Thomas, the director for the Center of Health Equity, told USA Today the effort is a blessing.

“This big push to recognize the barbershops and beauty salons in Black and brown communities as assets to be mobilized is just a blessing,”  Thomas said. “I could not be more excited and ecstatic.”

The administration will work with the Black Coalition Against COVID, the University of Maryland Center for Health Equity, and SheaMoisture to promote the ‘Shots at the Shop’ initiative.

About RavenH

Raven Haywood is a journalist for 10+ years. Graduate from Howard University.

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