106 and counting. That's how many citizens, so far, have signed on as cosponsors to the Vaccine Equity Act after state Sen. Sonia Chang-Díaz implored people to do so.
Chang-Díaz (D-2nd Suffolk) is a lead sponsor of the bill with Sen. Becca Rausch.
People of color account for 51 percent of COVID-19 cases in Massachusetts, but only 15 percent of those who’ve received vaccines to-date, according to statistics cited by Chang-Diaz.
The bill would do the following things:
- Require the governor to appoint a vaccine equity director whose sole focus is addressing vaccination disparities rooted in racism, government mistrust, and disparate access to information and resources
- Require a robust outreach and communications campaign, both via mass media and direct grassroots tactics (like door-to-door canvassing), aimed at hardest-hit communities
- Create a mobile vaccination program for communities with highest COVID rates
- Expand Stop the Spread sites to all Gateway Cities
- Require transparency about vaccine distribution and implementation plans, including tracking the 20 percent additional doses committed to most-vulnerable communities, the number of unused doses, and key demographic data on vaccinations
The coalition petition also asked Governor Charlie Baker to immediately direct $10 million to trusted community organizations for outreach and engagement in communities of color.
Click here to be a citizen cosponsor.
2) Motivate legislature too, by signing on as citizen co-sponsor of the #VaccineEquity Act, filed by me, @RepLizMiranda @Becca_Rausch & @MindyForMA: https://t.co/glO4zCYNSj#mapoli #bospoli #organize pic.twitter.com/4fAzVvOlcJ
— Sonia Chang-Díaz (@SoniaChangDiaz) February 26, 2021