On April 10, the COVID-19 vaccines were made available to all Los Angeles County residents 16 years of age and older, regardless of employment or immigration status.
In a special webinar on the vaccines for Spanish speakers, UCLA Health infectious disease physicians David Goodman-Meza and Jaime Deville del Campo will answer patients’ questions and provide concise, up-to-date information and instructions for the post-vaccination period.
The webinar will take place on Tuesday, April 20 at 6 p.m.
According to Dr. Goodman-Meza, Latinos are close to half of the Los Angeles County population, and account for 55% of COVID-19 cases and 47% of deaths. Yet, only 23% have been vaccinated.
“A lot of this is likely difficulties in access more than vaccine hesitancy, although we know that vaccine misinformation is running rampant in Latino social media and among their networks,” Dr. Goodman-Meza says. “We believe that doctors getting out there and spreading the right message is key to vaccine acceptance.”
Dr. Goodman-Meza points to a recent study showing that across age groups, Hispanic people trust their doctors more than any other source.
“Ultimately, we want to provide people with the right information to help them make the right choice regarding vaccination,” Dr. Goodman-Meza says.
Dr. Deville del Campo says, “For us Latinos here in the U.S., especially those of us with relatives in different countries, it has been very difficult to see how our people have suffered with this pandemic.”
Reinforcing the importance of making good choices, he says, “we are fortunate to have proven vaccines available, so it’s very important that we are all well informed so we can make science-based decisions.”
COVID-19 vaccine webinar for Spanish speakers
- Presented by UCLA Health infectious disease experts
- Tuesday, April 20 at 6 p.m.
- Click here to sign up
