Kent County Coalition moving ahead with multiple vaccine opportunities in July

By Tim Mastro
Posted 6/30/21

DOVER — The Kent County Coalition has 16 COVID-19 vaccination events scheduled in July, as it continues with its goal of vaccine equity.

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Kent County Coalition moving ahead with multiple vaccine opportunities in July

Posted

DOVER — The Kent County Coalition has 16 COVID-19 vaccination events scheduled in July, as it continues with its goal of vaccine equity.

So far, the coalition has helped with 8,936 vaccinations, said the Rev. Rita Paige during the coalition’s biweekly meeting Wednesday. This includes 579 vaccinations in June.

Some of the vaccination events utilize Kent County Public Library’s bookmobile. One such June clinic came when the coalition took the bookmobile into a neighborhood when its scheduled event fell through. It turned out to be one of the most successful events of the month.

“We’re learning that, sometimes, the planned events aren’t going to be where we get people because most people have already been vaccinated,” the Rev. Paige said. “We have to go where the people are.”

A total of 16,185 members of Kent County’s Black population (35.6%) have been vaccinated. This number is 20.5% of all persons vaccinated in the county. Kent County’s Hispanic population has 33.9% of its population vaccinated, with 4,233 individuals receiving at least one dose — 5.4% of all persons vaccinated in Kent County.

Statewide, 36.4% of the Black population (77,315) have received at least one dose, while 42.3% of Hispanics have (37,374). All numbers are via the Delaware Division of Public Health’s vaccine tracker and reflect data as of 11:59 p.m. Tuesday.

Delaware’s vaccine incentive program, DE Wins!, ended Tuesday, and the grand prizes of $302,000 and two low-digit license plates were drawn Wednesday.

Emily David-Hershman, communications adviser for Gov. John Carney, told the coalition that the state will not slow down vaccinations as the incentive program comes to a close, saying the state hopes to improve vaccinations in 18-34 year olds — an age demographic where 37.3% have been vaccinated.

“Just because DE Wins! is over doesn’t mean we’re going to halt all vaccination efforts,” Ms. David-Hershman said. “It’s still so important that we continue to encourage folks to get vaccinated, understanding that a lot of people needed some more time to think about it. We want to respect that and give them the opportunity to be vaccinated, as well. The state will be rolling out various targeted communication campaigns, and one of those campaigns will be focused specifically on ages 18 to 34.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 69.8% of Delawareans 18 and older have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, closing in on the state’s and President Joe Biden’s goal of 70% by Sunday. The CDC data includes Delawareans vaccinated out of state and at such sites as Veterans Affairs offices and Dover Air Force Base, which do not report their data to DPH.

The Kent County Coalition will be at Delaware State University seven times throughout July, with vaccination clinics on Tuesday and July 9, 13, 16, 20, 23 and 27. All clinics will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with vaccinations being administered by Curative Inc.

Other vaccination events through the coalition in July are: a second-dose event on Saturday for those who received first doses June 12 from Express Pharmacy; a clinic at Maranatha Life Changing Church, Dover, for first and second doses July 10 (9-11 a.m.); a Kent County bookmobile event in Capitol Park, Dover, on July 12 (2-5 p.m.); a clinic at Dover Interfaith Mission for Housing on July 22 (3-6 p.m.); a second-dose event with the Kent County bookmobile on New Street, Milford, on July 23 (time to be announced); a clinic utilizing the Kent County bookmobile at Dover’s Concerts on The Green on July 29 (7-9 p.m.); and an event at Polytech High School, Woodside, on July 31 (time to be announced).

Two other events are tentative and will be finalized at a later date, as the coalition is hoping to hold a bookmobile clinic at Family Dollar on West Loockerman Street, Dover, (July 17, 2-5 p.m.) and a Tabitha Medical Care event for the Haitian community (July 18, 3-9 p.m.).

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