TOLEDO, Ohio — There is hesitation when it comes to getting the COVID-19 vaccine -- especially within minority communities -- but there are plans in the works to overcome the stigma in Toledo.
According to Mercy Health St. Vincent Medical Center’s Dr. Anthony Armstrong, much of the apprehension stems from history.
The Tuskegee Experiment started in the 1930s and lasted 40 years. Armstrong said the United States Public Health Service studied how syphilis affected African Americans differently.
“What they enrolled were some poor African American sharecroppers and they basically lied to them, told them they were going to get free medical care," he said. "Some of them had syphilis, some of them were given syphilis and placebos, thinking they were being treated."
In the 1930s, a treatment and cure called penicillin was found, but Armstrong said the participants were denied that treatment.
“Because it was such an unethical study, it really questioned medicine in our United States,” he said. “That was all predicated on centuries of oppression of African Americans and other minoritized populations, and so a lot of that racism and bias still persists today, unfortunately."
St. Vincent Respiratory Therapist Kim Ellis said that at first, she was apprehensive about taking the vaccine.
“And then I talked to some doctors here and they said it’s better than having COVID. And the patients I see... It’s pretty bad," she said.
Ellis was one of the first to receive the Pfizer vaccine and said she didn’t experience any side effects other than a sore arm like she’s had with the flu shot.
“I thought I better get it since I’m one-on-one with patients that have it,” she explained. “I just think you should get it, if you’re able-bodied and just get it and help protect your family, your co-workers, everyone.”
Armstrong said that when it comes to encouraging minority communities to get the vaccine, its about trust -- whether it’s a medical expert, business or community leader, there's a need for someone who can help direct people to reliable resources not misinformation.
“A lot of it is not just the messenger, but it’s the actual message, too. You’ve got to kind of address people’s fears about the vaccine,” he said. “Based on COVID, it’s really unearthed a lot of inequalities and disparities that have been present for centuries, but they have just come more to light.”
He believes it’s a community effort to get as many people as possible, from all backgrounds, to take the vaccine.
“We all do better when we have a healthy community," Armstrong said.
A new task force was formed in Toledo and Lucas County to encourage 70% of the population to get vaccinated against coronavirus and it addresses the racial divide as well. Leaders said the goal is to make sure everyone is included and represented.