Building trust in the COVID-19 vaccine in priority communities

Waterloo Region – The Region of Waterloo’s Community Engagement Working Group has been reaching out to local priority populations to understand barriers and challenges they experience in accessing vaccines, and to inform how the COVID-19 vaccine is being distributed in these communities.

An important goal of the group is to build trust in vaccine safety in priority communities and to understand the root causes of vaccine hesitancy so information can be provided in a culturally appropriate way. Many resources have been developed and translated for refugee and newcomer groups; the African, Caribbean and Black community; South-Asian community; as well as faith groups and rural populations. 

“We appreciate the opportunity to engage community leaders and stakeholders who are helping inform how we communicate with priority populations across Waterloo Region and how the vaccine is distributed,” said Fauzia Baig, Equity and Anti-Racism Advisor for the Region of Waterloo. “We are working with many community groups, community leaders and health care providers to increase vaccine awareness and to make sure all the residents of Waterloo Region have an opportunity to be vaccinated.”

As part of this work, a series of town halls have been hosted in partnership with community groups. These are opportunities for trusted professionals to interact with priority populations. Town halls are being provided in a variety of languages.

The next Town Hall is being hosted for the African, Caribbean and Black community on Sunday, April 11 from 2-4 p.m. In partnership with the Region of Waterloo, the members of the planning group for this event are Lang Ncube (ACB Network), Marcia Smellie (Congress of Black Women, Waterloo Region), Alice Penny (Bring on the Sunshine), Michael Belachew (Ethiopian Community), Ismail Mohamed (Somali Community), Priscilla Muzira (African Canadian Association of Waterloo Region), Efe Ekperigin and Maedith Radlein (Anti-Racism Advisory Working Group). Three members of Toronto's Black Scientists' Task Force on Vaccine Equity have been invited to address COVID-19 vaccine concerns in a question-and-answer format:

• Dr. Khenti, Special Advisor to the City of Toronto's Targeted COVID-19 Equity Action Plan
• Dr. Abdurrahman, Allergy Lead in the Special Immunization Clinic focusing on vaccine allergy at the McMaster Children’s Hospital
• Dr. Odame, Haematology Section Head in the Division of Haematology/ Oncology and Medical Director of the Global Sickle Cell Disease Network

To register for the Town Hall: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/region-of-waterloo-black-town-hall-vaccine-information-session-tickets-148928580393.

The Community Engagement Working Group has also developed a series of videos called “Hear stories from our community” to address questions about the COVID-19 vaccine. The series will be available on the Region of Waterloo’s website.

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