The
Garden’s State’s biggest city is taking steps to get more people vaccinated
against COVID-19 as part of the Health and Wellness Festival at University
Hospital in Newark.
News
12 is told by University Hospital CEO Dr. Shareff Elnahal that vaccine
hesitancy is starting earlier than expected.
Only
24% or Newark’s population has been fully vaccinated, which is less than the
34% of the population that has been vaccinated statewide.
Director
of Community Affairs at University Hospital Brooke Tippens says she thinks the
lack of vaccine is due to accessibility, but says the event Saturday made things
easier and no appointments were needed.
“They
need to get up, get in a car, get in a Lyft, get in an Uber and make their way
here,” Tippens says.
Elnahal
says they’ve had to get creative, including getting mobile vans to help get the vaccine straight to people.
“We
just have to make it easier to get access to the shot,” Elnahal says. “A lot of
folks have jobs and it’s difficult to take a day off of work and potentially
another two days because of side effects so the easier we make it on weekends
and walk-in basis and now going out into the community with vans.”
Residents
will have fill out registration forms in-person at the mobile unit. Then, they
can get the shot and relax for 15 minutes before heading back home.
There
were also screenings of glucose, colon cancer, blood pressure and vision at
the clinic.