'Here, life matters': Multi-faith Day of Prayer focuses on getting people vaccinated before the holidays
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Faith leaders in Chicago are hoping to engage the community in praying for those who have suffered from covid-19 and for a healthy holiday season ahead.
Vaccinations are still top of mind, as health disparities in Black communities continue. It's something CBS 2 has been reporting on since the beginning of the pandemic.
CBS 2's Asal Rezaei has more on how a day of prayer is aiming to help. Seventy-seven neighborhoods across Chicago will be lifting up those who continue to be impacted by COVID-19.
"It makes sense to rally people, whether you are Jewish or Catholic or Protestant or Muslim, it doesn't matter. Here, life matters."
A physician for over 40 years, Reverend Horace Smith said he has seen first hand how COVID has affected lives on the South Side. On Saturday, he and other faith leaders will hold a citywide day of prayer, asking their congregation to get vaccines or boosters.
The Chicago Department of Public Health will even provide COVID-19 vaccines at some prayer locations. Rev. Smith said events like this help build trust within communities that have been challenged with different inequities, especially ahead of the holidays.
"For people that have been marginalized, it's not always so festive. if you're in poverty, if you have health disparities, the holidays sometimes even magnify the less that you had," Smith said.
Health disparities are proven in the numbers. Data from the Cook County Medical Examiner shows 57% of Black residents are vaccinated, while only 29% have gotten a booster. Compare that to white residents who are 74% vaccinated with 49% boosted.
CBS 2 Investigators have looked at how vaccine hesitancy has impacted deaths in the black community. In Chicago, since the start of the pandemic to today. Forty-one percent of people who have died were Black and 27% were white.
"People are desperately hurting and they need to know that somebody care, this will let them know they are not alone," said Reverend Dr. George Daniels of the First Baptist Congregational Church of Chicago.
Other church leaders joining the call to prayer, hoping to spread life-saving information by showing unity.
"What I'm hoping that prayer does is to keep people informed, keep them motivated, trusting god absolutely, but god also expects us to walk in wisdom," said nurse Denois Dillard, president of Health Ministry, First Baptist Congregational Church of Chicago.
