Tell Congress to pass funding for a scaled up distribution of the COVID-19
vaccine and ensure equitable distribution of vaccinations. *When you
click, you’ll automatically sign on if we already have your information.
[ [link removed] ]Take Action Now
[ [link removed] ]TAKE ACTION

Dear Friend,

FINALLY!

After over a year since the first COVID-19 case was diagnosed in the
United States, and 50 different states taking 50 different approaches to
addressing the virus, we finally have a national strategy for combating
this deadly virus and getting us all vaccinated. [ [link removed] ] Whew!

President Biden issued an executive order last week that will coordinate a
nationwide effort to speed up production and distribution of vaccines, as
well as foster coordination between the Federal government and state and
local governments. It will also help to reduce disparities in COVID-19
response, care and treatment—including racial and ethnic disparities. [ [link removed] ]
[1]Executive orders are a great start, but we also need Congress to do
their part by taking immediate action to protect our families and
communities by passing COVID-relief legislation ASAP.

*Quick signature: Tell your members of Congress to pass funding for a
scaled-up distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine and include vital aid to
state, local, territory, and tribal governments in their COVID-relief
bill. *When you click, you’ll automatically sign on if we already have
your information.

What’s happening? As a nation, we are already struggling to ensure
equitable access to the vaccine, especially for communities of color, who
are being disproportionately impacted by the virus (and were already
facing long standing health disparities before the pandemic). [ [link removed] ] In the
U.S., Black, Latino, Pacific Islanders, and Indigenous Americans all have
a COVID-19 death rate that’s double or more that of white and Asian
Americans. [ [link removed] ] At the same time, the number of vaccinations for
communities of color is smaller than their share of cases, while the
number of vaccinations for white people is larger than their share. [ [link removed] ]
This disparity in large part can be attributed to differences in access.

Many people who currently qualify for the vaccine are struggling to gain
access to it due to a number of reasons: limited availability in their
area, lack of internet service to make the appointment, lack of
transportation to get to the facility, language barriers to access signup
lists, or lack of time off from work to be able to receive the vaccine.
(President Biden’s proposed COVID plan provides for paid leave to get
vaccinations, but Congress must pass it first.) In states all across the
country, data is showing that your zip code may impact your access to the
vaccine, where wealthier neighborhoods are unfairly getting their shots at
a faster rate. [ [link removed] ]

Sili in Florida said: My dad is 74, a cancer survivor and recovering from
a quadruple bypass in November. He wants to be vaccinated but I cannot
find any place across several counties that have appointments for seniors.
I've gone on county sites, hospital sites and state sites to no avail. And
still he considers himself lucky because I'm able to do all of this for
him since he wouldn't be able to do this for himself. There has to be a
better way to get the U.S. population vaccinated in a speedy and equitable
way.

[2]Sign on now! Tell your members of Congress to ensure fast and equitable
access to the COVID-19 vaccine! *When you click, you’ll automatically sign
on if we already have your information.

With the patchwork of systems delivering the vaccine across the country,
most of us are struggling to find out how and when we and our loved ones
can get vaccinated.

A national investment must be made in a robust effort to achieve equitable
distribution of vaccines, particularly in communities of color, which have
faced significant medical discrimination and mistreatment throughout the
pandemic, as well as throughout our nation’s history. [ [link removed] ] This includes
ensuring resourced equitable access to medical treatment, accurate
information from leaders from diverse communities, vaccines, and more.

Since there has been a patchwork approach so far, each state has been
determining which groups are included in which phase of the roll out of
the vaccine, and in many states there are some other critical groups of
people who are not being prioritized. Our beloved child care workers must
be included alongside other frontline essential workers for priority. [8,
9] We also need to ensure people with intellectual and developmental
disabilities (who are 2-3 times more likely to die of COVID) and
caregivers for medically fragile children are high priority as well. And
immigrant communities need to be assured that getting a vaccine will not
impact their immigration status.

Finally, people living and working in congregate settings are at higher
risk for severe COVID-19, so we must ensure that people who are homeless,
living in correctional facilities, or are agricultural workers like meat
packers and migrant farm workers (who often work in close proximity) are
prioritized. President Biden’s National Strategy corrects this patchwork
approach and centers those who are most at risk, which is why Congress
must pass his vaccine plan as part of a comprehensive relief package now!

[3]Don’t forget to add your name! When you click, you’ll automatically
sign on to our letter that reads:

Members of Congress:

We urge you to take immediate action to protect our families and
communities by passing COVID-relief legislation to scale up distribution
of the COVID-19 vaccine, ensure equitable distribution of vaccinations
for communities of color, and provide aid to state, local, territory,
and tribal governments for vaccine distribution efforts.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to ravage our communities, the data
is showing that in addition to being harder hit economically,
communities of color are experiencing serious health disparities, higher
mortality rates, and receiving fewer vaccinations than their share. This
disparity must be corrected because your zip code, race, ethnicity, or
level of wealth should not determine your access to the vaccine. There
must also be a robust effort to engage leaders of diverse communities to
distribute information about the vaccines with a focus on reaching
communities who have experienced historic medical discrimination and
harm.

Additionally, we must ensure that child care workers and migrant farm
workers as well as other immigrants are included alongside other
essential frontline workers to receive the vaccine. Further, people with
intellectual and developmental disabilities as well as caregivers for
medically fragile children, people who are homeless, and people living
in correctional facilities must be given priority for receiving the
vaccine.

[4]***Make sure to sign our letter now calling on Congress to quickly pass
President Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine plan as part of a comprehensive relief
package! *When you click, you’ll automatically sign on if we already have
your information.

The more people who speak out, the bigger our impact. Please take a moment
to forward our action link to your friends and family and share it on
social media: [5][link removed]

Together we are a powerful voice for the health of families.

- Felicia, Tasmiha, Donna, Kristin, Elyssa, Ruth and the whole MomsRising
/ MamásConPoder team

P.S. We want to hear from you! Share your thoughts, ideas, and experiences
with us about the COVID-19
vaccine: [6][link removed]

[1] The White House, [7]National Strategy for the COVID-19 Response and
Pandemic Preparedness 
[2] The White House, [ [link removed] ]Executive Order on Organizing and Mobilizing the
United States Government to Provide a Unified and Effective Response to
Combat COVID-19 and to Provide United States Leadership on Global Health
and Security 
[3] Kaiser Family Foundation, [ [link removed] ]Addressing Racial Equity in Vaccine
Distribution 
[4] APM Research, [ [link removed] ]The Color of Coronavirus: COVID-19 Deaths by Race
and Ethnicity in the U.S. 
[5] Kaiser Family Foundation, [ [link removed] ]Early State Vaccination Data Raise
Warning Flags for Racial Equity 
[6] Miami Harold, [ [link removed] ]Miami-Dade’s wealthiest ZIP codes are also the most
vaccinated for COVID-19, data shows 
[6] The Colorado Sun, [ [link removed] ]In Denver, getting the coronavirus vaccine may
depend on where you live 
[7] Slate, [ [link removed] ]Black Doctors Explain How to Overcome Reluctance Toward the
COVID Vaccine 
[8] EdSurge, [ [link removed] ]Hailed as ‘Heroes,’ Child Care Workers in Some States Are
Denied Vaccine Priority 
[9] The Washington Post, [ [link removed] ]People with disabilities desperately need the
vaccine. But states disagree on when they’ll get it.

 


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