US officials look to boost confidence in vaccine

U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams hailed the first day of COVID-19 vaccinations in the U.S., saying it's "truly an historic day."

But speaking at a news conference Monday to launch the vaccination of health care workers in the nation’s capital., Adams expressed concern that some in minority communities won't chose to get the shot. And he looked to stress the vaccine’s safety and effectiveness, while raising issues of social equity.

"Having a vaccine is only the first step," Adams said. "We must now move from vaccines to vaccinations. And it would be a great tragedy if disparities actually worsened because the people who could most benefit from this vaccine won't take it."

Adams said he understands why some people of color would be skeptical, saying the nation "must first acknowledge this real history of mistreatment and exploitation of minorities by the medical community and the government."

But he underscored that people of color are "represented among the researchers who developed the vaccine, the scientists and doctors who reviewed it in the tens of thousands of study participants who bravely volunteered so they could prove this vaccine's safety and its efficacy."

Adams said officials "need to explain and demonstrate all that has been done to address these wrongs..to make sure tragedies like the Tuskegee Syphilis Study or the exploitation of Henrietta Lacks never happen again."

The surgeon general also called on Americans to double down on practicing responsible behaviors such as avoiding travel and gatherings, maintaining social distance, wearing masks and washing their hands frequently as the public awaits an end to the global pandemic.

(Image Credit: AP)