Gov Harlem sermon: Go be vax ‘apostles’
Seeks to boost Black inoculation rates
Gov. Hochul on Sunday urged Harlem churchgoers to serve as “apostles” of COVID vaccination and spread the word in communities of color where jab rates are low.
God “inspired the smartest scientists and doctors and researchers to create a vaccine. God gave us that through men and women so we could be delivered from this pandemic,” the governor said at the historic Abyssinian Baptist Church on W. 138th St. “So how can you say no to that?” she said.
“All of you have to be not just the true believers, but our apostles to go out there and spread the word that we can get out of this once and for all if everybody gets vaccinated.”
Since the rocky rollout of vaccines last year, people of color have gotten vaccinated at lower rates than others.
Half of Black adults in the city have received at least one dose, according to the city Health Department. That compares to rates of 59% among whites, 69% for Hispanics and 90% for Asians and Pacific Islanders.
Starting on Monday, the city is enforcing a mandate requiring people to show proof of vaccination for many indoor activities.
Those range from eating at a restaurant and drinking at a bar to working out, going bowling and catching a movie or show. The policy is aimed at encouraging more people to get vaccinated.
Coronavirus numbers have surged through the summer, with about 1,500 deaths nationwide per day. The state had 29 COVID fatalities on Saturday, according to Hochul’s office.
Aiming to reverse the trend, President Biden announced a new policy last week that companies with 100 or more employees, along with hospitals and health care organizations that receive federal funding, must get staff vaccinated.
Surgeon General Vivek Murthy defended the requirements on Sunday, as some state leaders were making plans to oppose the measures.
“This wouldn’t have been put forward if the president’s administration didn’t believe that it was an appropriate, legal measure to take,” he told ABC’s “This Week.”
“The COVID virus is a dangerous virus and makes our workplaces and our schools far less safe than they should be,” he said. “So this is an appropriate action, we believe, and it’s certainly, from a public health perspective, most importantly, will help keep workers safe.
“And that will ultimately help our economy, as well,” he added.
Aiming to get up to 100 million Americans jabbed after months of lagging vaccination numbers, Biden’s use of a workplace safety law drew howls from Republicans.
Nebraska is looking into ways to push back, the state’s Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts said on Sunday.
“I’ve been talking to my attorney general, he is coordinating with the other attorneys general across the country who share similar views about the overreach,” he told “Fox News Sunday.”
“When we get an idea of what these rules exactly will be we’ll know how to be able to attack it in court,” he said.
Last week, Georgia’s Republican Gov. Brian Kemp vowed to fight Biden’s policy, and Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas called it “utterly lawless.”
Senate candidates including J.D. Vance of Ohio have called for civil disobedience against the new workplace vaccine requirements.
Asked about such statements, Murthy said the country must take a unified approach to the pandemic.
“What we cannot allow ... is for this pandemic to turn us on each other. Our enemy is the virus; it is not one another,” he said.