At First Reluctant, More Blacks Now Seeing Benefits, Safety Of COVID-19 Vaccines
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Nikia Glenn is surrounded by women and men of science, yet even she was reluctant.
"I think I was the same as other people, with the not knowing, wondering," she said. "Just a lot of questions about the science behind the vaccinations."
Glenn, the human resources director at the New Roseland Hospital, was among the overwhelming majority of the hospital's largely Black workforce who chose not to get the vaccine when it was first made available.
But since then, the number of workers vaccinated at the hospital has jumped from 23% to 42%.
Glenn is among them.
"What's changed is education," Glenn said. "I went after just educating myself about the benefits of getting vaccinated."
Glenn said a turning point was seeing the Rev. Jesse Jackson get his vaccination at her hospital. Hospital CEO Tim Egan, who is overseeing a campaign to convince the employees the vaccine is safe, told us they're now seeing safety in numbers.
"People are starting to buy into the fact the millions upon millions of people that are getting their vaccines every day across the country, are on the right side of the science," Egan said.
But more than half of the New Roseland Hospital's workers still have not been vaccinated, which reflects remaining skepticism in the African American community.
WVON Radio's Kimberley Egonmwan says her listeners note the infamous Tuskegee experiment, which studied the effects of syphilis on Black men, who thought they were being treated for the disease. Healthcare inequities between Blacks and Whites also plays a role, she said.
"You to have large percentage of people who very nervous about taking this vaccine," Egonmwan said. "These are things that African Americans are looking at and saying 'we want to trust the health care system.' But this has been a health care system that has not been trustworthy in many instances - in the past and the present."
Nikia Glenn hopes people follow her example.
"I'm really happy I did go ahead and got over my fear and understand and educate myself and move forward to get the vaccination, so i feel great about it."
