WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris urged Black Americans on Wednesday to get the coronavirus vaccine as studies show Blacks and Hispanics are lagging in COVID-19 vaccinations.
“Let’s not let COVID get us. Let’s get the vaccine instead, right?” Harris said in excerpts from an MSNBC interview. “Let’s not let this thing get us.”
Harris’ comments came as President Joe Biden’s administration announced the distribution of 25 million masks to vulnerable populations and hard-hit communities.
“We know black people are disproportionately likely to contract the virus and die from it,” Harris said. “We know when you look at who the frontline workers are, who is the most at risk disproportionately, we are talking about people of color.”
(Reporting by Doina Chiacu; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
