African American pastors want more churches to be vaccine distribution sites
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Dozens of leaders from African American churches in Florida spoke out Wednesday demanding better access to the COVID-19 vaccine.
The pandemic has hurt minority communities the worst and leaders in these communities say when it comes to the vaccine, they are getting the least attention.
"People don’t have the access," said Rev. Dr. Wayne Thompson who leads First Baptist Institutional Church in St. Petersburg. "The services are not readily available to our communities where we live."
Dr. Thompson joined dozens of other African American pastors to offer a solution. They’ve identified 80 churches across Florida that are ready to volunteer as vaccine distribution centers.
"People trust our venues and they trust the voice of our venues," he said.
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Governor Ron DeSantis says they’ve partnered with more than 25 churches that have already vaccinated 13,000 people.
"These are predominately churches in the African American community, and then this week we are going to be visiting another 30."
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