The basic and paid advertising campaign aims to attract residents who may be reluctant to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
According to the Hidalgo office, the campaign is entitled “Stay smart, do your part” and highlights the safety and effectiveness of vaccines.
RELATED: New figures show black, Hispanic, under-vaccinated communities
Recently released vaccine data from Harris County shows that black and Hispanic communities are under-vaccinated.
Available data show that 48.3% of vaccinated residents in Houston and Harris County are white, 13.4% are Asian, 12.45 are black, 11.3% are Hispanic or Latino, and 14% are listed as “other” , according to city data. When comparing these percentages with the population of each race at the county level, more white and Asian residents are vaccinated compared to Hispanic and black residents.
The Houston Department of Health says Hispanics accounted for 55 percent of COVID-19 deaths, compared with 21 percent of blacks and 18 percent of whites and 5.5 percent of Asians.
Across the country, CDC data show that, compared to whites, Hispanics are 1.7 times more likely to get COVID-19, four times more likely to go to the hospital, and nearly three times more likely to die.
A study from the University of Houston found that a third of Texans could refuse a COVID-19 vaccine and that reluctance is proving to be particularly true among communities of color.
The study comes as the CDC data recently revealed that of those vaccinated in the first month, only 11% were Hispanic, five percent were black and six percent were Asian.
SEE ALSO: How access associated with mistrust impacts Hispanic communities receiving COVID-19 vaccine
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