NEW YORK, New York – New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan is urging the Caribbean community in New York City to get the COVID-19 booster and influenza vaccine.
Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan speaking with reporters on the need to get COVID-19 boosterNew York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) said that while 80 percent of all New Yorkers have completed their primary vaccination series, only 40 percent of people of color, including those in the Caribbean community, have received a booster shot.
Within the Latino community, only 30 percent have received a booster shot, followed by the Black community, with 28 percent, the DOHMH said, adding that the Asian community is leading the way for communities of color, with 63 percent getting a booster shot.
In the three-part roundtable discussion with reporters who serve Black New Yorkers, as well as Chinese and Spanish-speaking communities, Dr. Vasan said that both COVID-19 and the flu cause “too much serious illness every year, which can be avoided easily.
“This is an important time of year for us, as we’re entering flu season, and COVID-19 is still with us. Thankfully we have safe, effective vaccines for both. The flu – though common – is deadly,” the health commissioner said, adding every year, an estimated 2,000 New Yorkers die from seasonal flu and pneumonia, “which can develop as a complication of the flu”.
Dr. Vasan said DOHMH is “especially concerned about inequities we see in both COVID and flu, which are the result of systemic racism.”
For example, he said that, during the omicron wave, the COVID-19 hospitalization rate was more than two times greater among Black New Yorkers, compared to their white counterparts.
“We’ll do our best to engage with communities, because these boosters are a game-changer,” Dr. Vasan said, adding that the updated booster is specifically designed to protect Caribbean Americans and other New Yorkers against the omicron sub variants, which account for nearly all recent infections.
“You can get the updated booster during the same appointment as the flu shot. So, please schedule both by calling your health care providers today or by going to NYC VaccineFinder. It’s the best way to stay COVID and flu-free this season,” Dr. Vasan advised.
