Cedar Rapids NAACP hosting COVID vaccine clinics next week

CEDAR RAPIDS - Appointment slots are still open for a COVID-19 vaccine clinic - aiming to reach 100 people of color - next week in Cedar Rapids.

The clinic will be hosted by the Cedar Rapids NAACP.

'If someone wants the shot, we're trying to do our best to make sure the vaccine is available to them and that they don't have to wait a long period of time,” said Dedric Doolin, president of the Cedar Rapids NAACP.

The clinics will take place on Tuesday, April 6, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.; and on Saturday, April 10, from 9 to 11 a.m., at The Roc Center, 1202 10th St. SE.

An appointment is required and can be made by calling or texting Doolin at (319) 560-0482.

The NAACP is working to provide rides to the clinic and interpreters, if needed. If those services are required, tell Doolin when requesting an appointment.

Cedar Rapids NAACP received 100 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine from Linn County Public Health, which has received hundreds of doses from the state specifically for vulnerable populations and others who face barriers to finding an appointment.

Black Americans and other people of color have been infected and have died of COVID-19 at higher rates than other populations, nationwide data shows.

That disparity has extended to Iowa, and many of these individuals have struggled to get a vaccine appointment, Doolin said. Many don't have the opportunity to drive to another city or the time to monitor pharmacy websites for available appointments.

Doolin said he hopes the clinic will reach those struggling to find an appointment. If there's still a need, the NAACP will host another vaccination clinic.

'We want the community as a whole to be safer for everyone,” he said.

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