Boston City TV, MA City of Boston Press Office, 6 Apr 2021

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From YouTube: COVID-19 Media Availability 4-6-21

Description

Mayor Janey joins Chief of Health and Human Services Marty Martinez to launch the Boston Public Health Commission’s Hope campaign, an effort to encourage residents to get the COVID-19 vaccine, highlighting its importance and safety.
Mayor Janey and Chief Martinez will also provide an update on COVID-19 cases, testing and vaccination in Boston.

To view with ASL interpretation please visit:
https://youtu.be/q97ZfTz7UKo

A

A

Can you hear me okay, good good afternoon, everyone? I apologize that the asl interpreters were not available today from the massachusetts commission for the deaf and hard of hearing we will make interpretation on video as well as full captioning available.

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I want to make sure folks know that I am joined today by marty martinez, who is our chief of health and human services.

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I want to thank you, marty, certainly and rita nieves at the boston public health commission, for your dedicated work each day on behalf of the people of boston and for leading the talented teams that developed the campaign that we are announcing today, boston's battle against covet 19 has raged for over a year.

A

This fight has taken a painful toll on families and communities across our city. Sadly, 353 bostonians have been lost to covet 19.. The pandemic is still not over, but life-saving vaccines are here. I have placed vaccination at the top of our covet 19 recovery agenda.

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The city of boston is pursuing a city-wide approach that is focused on equity. We know that people of color are more likely to get covet 19 and that if they do, they are more likely to die.

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So we are addressing the needs of the entire city as we target those hardest hit by the public health crisis every day. Our vaccination effort is meeting boston residents where they are with a four-pronged approach.

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Mass vaccination clinics, priority group clinics, community-based clinics and mobile vaccination sites and they're all making shots accessible and convenient all across the city of boston, covid vaccines are spreading hope hope that we can hug our loved ones hope that we can keep our neighborhoods safe, hope that businesses can reopen fully and residents can get back to work and that our kids can return to school hope that we can end this pandemic today. I am pleased to announce the hope campaign.

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This new, multilingual public awareness program encourages bostonians to get the covet 19 vaccine when it is their turn. The hope campaign speaks to the resiliency that has gotten us this far. It shows how life can be better if we get vaccinated.

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Every dose of the covet 19 vaccine brings us one step closer to putting the pandemic behind us. Every dose gives us new hope for a brighter day ahead.

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The hope campaign features diverse people speaking a variety of languages across billboards, social media and print. The ads are designed to inspire communities of color and others who are disproportionately impacted by covet 19.. The hope campaign lets every boston resident know the vaccine is their shot at hope.

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The first phase of this campaign launched last week and will continue through june.

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It is welcome news that vaccine eligibility is expanding and it is important that the supplies expand as well to prioritize vaccine vaccinating those most at risk. The city of boston has launched the equity vaccine access line, seniors and eligible boston residents who identify as a person of color, can dial.

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617-635-5555 or visit boston.gov backslash get vaccinated for help scheduling an appointment, and in my first week I announced the vaccine equity grant initiative. This 1.5 million dollar effort supports non-profits, breaking down barriers to access for bostonians, who have been disproportionately impacted by covet 19.

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applications for this funding opportunity are now open, and I encourage every bostonian to get information and make informed choices about getting the vaccine when it is your turn until then, we need to stay vigilant. Please, and I've been a broken record on this. Please continue to wear your mask. Wash your hands, maintain social distance and get tested regularly, and when it is your turn, please get the vaccine. Now. I'd like to invite chief martinez to share more about our vaccination efforts.

B

Thank you mayor. I'm excited to see this campaign roll out and even more eager to feel that hope spread around our city as we roll out this campaign. I just want to reiterate the mayor's message that we need to continue to protect ourselves and our families from covid. I know so many of us are tired of these measures, but it's so important that we continue to do what we can to protect our community.

B

The latest trend data shows us that we have seen an increase in our cases up to an average of 246 cases per day, which is an increase of about 39 week to week, and our positivity went up to 5.2 percent as of march 28th, which is a one percentage point increase week to week.

B

These increases show us that we need to continue to do what we can to follow all the guidance that we have for many months wearing a mask washing our hands, doing our best to maintain social distance and, as the mayor said, get your vaccine when you're able to these are the only ways that we're going to see the hope that we see in the eyes of this campaign we're grateful that those increases in rates and positivity have not been seen in our hospitalization numbers yet and that's important, but it's important.

B

We do all that we can. Finally, the city continues to prioritize the equitable distribution of vaccines across the city. We remain committed, as we have all along our coveted response to prioritize those communities and residents hardest hit. Starting this week, we will be expanding our mobile vaccination efforts and partnership with the state to expand, reach to more community organizations, more boston, housing authority sites and more partnerships with our immigrant providers and a deeper dive into our latinx and black communities.

B

In addition, we're partnering with wither street health center and their mobile efforts to support their ongoing work to bring vaccines to those residents hardest to reach. The latest data shows us that we're making progress as of march 30th 207 000 residents are 35.7 percent of bostonians over 16 have gotten at least one shot.

B

Twenty percent- almost 21 percent of bostonians over 16, have been fully vaccinated and close to 80 percent of our seniors over 65 have gotten at least one shot, and over 45 percent of bostonians vaccinated are people of color we're making progress and we're continuing to do that in each of our neighborhoods as well.

B

All of these efforts are key to turning a corner on covid, and while we have much work to do we're making real progress on our response, we want to continue to ask everyone to do what they can to keep themselves and their neighbors safe with that I'll pass it back to the mayor to take questions. Thank you.

A

Take a couple of.

C

A

I think it is important that we all adhere to the public safety guidelines that have been put forth and if there are issues in any of our spaces out in the communities, we need to ensure that they get the support that they need to follow the guidelines. So if there are safety issues, you know making sure that our isd team is aware, certainly that our public health team is aware and that we are setting getting them more information to follow the guidelines.

B

There was, there were reports.

A

So when it comes to vaccines that at these community locations, it's important to understand one that they are not being run by the city, I obviously want everyone to get the vaccine. We need to ensure that everyone in boston is vaccinated, but we also need to follow the public health guidelines from the state when it comes to eligibility and making sure that those communities that are hardest hit are getting the vaccine, and so it is important that we follow the guidelines.

A

So I am mayor of the entire city and I want to make sure that all of our residents are well served by the city services here in the city. Whether it is street sweeping whether it's picking up the garbage and certainly when it comes to rollout of the vaccine and making sure that our residents are vaccinated so that we can protect ourselves. Our families in our.

C

A

You know when it comes to getting the vaccine and this hope campaign, which I certainly hope, uh encourages more folks, particularly in communities of color and those who speak languages other than english, to hear the message to get the information that they need to make informed choices. We want everyone to get vaccinated so that we can get to the other side of this pandemic, ensure that we come to the other side, a stronger uh community and a more equitable city mayor.

C

C

Numbers in the pharmacies there's lined up with people from outside the city. Non-Employees. Do you find? Is this any other problem.

A

So the pharmacies like cvs and walgreens again are not operated by the city. This is why it is so important that we are lifting up all the things that I've outlined in the remarks today. I've been a particular fan of the mobile vaccination clinics.

A

We've had great success there, meeting residents where they are, and also partnering with trusted members of the community, so that we can ensure that residents who do have questions or concerns and that they get the information they need to make informed choices, and so I'm really proud of the work that chief martinez and his team has been leading.

A

Well, it has been a wonderful couple of weeks and I'm really grateful to the members of my team. You see many wonderful, dedicated employees of the city of boston. Here, I'm not just joined by chief martinez. We have chief dion irish here. Chief nick martin stephanie has been great. It is just an amazing team, and so I'm grateful for the work that is underway.

A

I know the biggest challenge before us is overcoming and getting through this pandemic and making sure that we come out of the pandemic, a stronger city, a more resilient city and a more equitable city. Thank you. So.

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