2020-12-01 15:10:56
As the drugmakers Pfizer and Moderna seek emergency approval for their coronavirus vaccines, public health bodies and regulators are weighing how to distribute the vaccines and who will get access to them.
The pandemic is disproportionately impacting African American, Latinx and Indigenous communities, exposing long-standing inequities and systemic racism in the U.S. healthcare system.
These same communities are underrepresented in the clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccines, due in part to centuries of abusive treatment at the hands of medical researchers.
Democracy Now! speaks with Dr. Chris Pernell, a public health physician in Newark, New Jersey, who is participating in Moderna's vaccine trial, in part as a way to honor her late father who died from COVID and to ensure African Americans are included in the studies.
"Being a public health physician, I needed a way to be a part of the solution," she says. "I knew it was important for Black and Brown persons to participate if we were ever to get at a truly effective solution."
Democracy Now! produces a daily, global, independent news hour hosted by award-winning journalists Amy Goodman and Juan González.
Our reporting includes breaking daily news headlines and in-depth interviews with people on the front lines of the world’s most pressing issues.
On DN!, you’ll hear a diversity of voices speaking for themselves, providing a unique and sometimes provocative perspective on global events.
Missed an episode? Check out DN on FSTV VOD anytime or visit the show page for the latest clips.
#FreeSpeechTV is one of the last standing national, independent news networks committed to advancing progressive social change.
#FSTV is available on Dish, DirectTV, AppleTV, Roku, Sling, and online at freespeech.org.
Health
Related
Sign up for Our Newsletter
Get updates about the policies and topics that matter the most to you. Progressive news directly to your email.
