This quarter, the Promise Zone hosted two successful holiday-themed vaccine events. In October, our VISTA team planned a Treat on Tenth Street, a festive fall gathering, where families were able to come celebrate the season and learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine. The event included a bounce-house, trunk-or-treat, food from Chuck’s Coney Island, a photo booth, DJ, and pumpkin carving. Despite the cold weather and outdoor venue space, the event attracted over 100 attendees who all had access to medical staff from Eskenazi Health to talk through vaccine safety and efficacy. At the end of the event, 21 people had received the flu shot, and 9 people received the J&J COVID-19 Vaccine.
The second of the two events was a Christmas-themed event, Santa’s Eastside Village. Held at John Boner Neighborhood Centers, the event was centered around children getting to meet and take photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus, but also included a letters-to-Santa station, a hot cocoa bar, cookies, and free gifts for every child that came. The event attracted over 200 attendees, all of whom again had access to bilingual medical personnel to talk through concerns over the vaccine. This was especially important, as the Pfizer vaccine had just been approved for children 5-12 a week before our event took place. At the conclusion of the event, 12 Pfizer vaccines had been administered, to 7 adults and 5 kids.
All in all, the events led to the vaccinations of 21 individuals this quarter, a metric for which we would consider a success. Regardless, vaccine hesitancy still remains an issue in this community, as it does many others. Below will be resources explaining the COVID-19 vaccine safety and efficacy, for those who still hold concerns.
Johns Hopkins Resources: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/covid19-vaccine-hesitancy-12-things-you-need-to-know