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US Surgeon General Jerome Adams receives the COVID-19 vaccine at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, DC, on Friday, December 18.
U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams receives the COVID-19 vaccine at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, DC, on Friday, December 18. Saul Loeb / AFP / Getty Images

After receiving the first dose of his Covid-19 vaccine, US Surgeon General Jerome Adams said he felt “called” to receive it to help build trust in communities of color.

African Americans remain among the groups with the least confidence in the vaccine, according to a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation. The study found that 35% of African Americans would likely or definitely not get the vaccine if scientists determined that it is safe and widely available for free.

Adams spoke today about the importance of his own vaccination, which he called the “importance of representation.”

“As an individual with asthma and high blood pressure, I am well aware of my own increased risk of exposure to Covid-19 and the comorbidities that increase my risk of complications,” Adams said. “And as a US Surgeon General and a black man, I am equally aware of the symbolic significance of my vaccination today.”

He noted “the importance of representation” in the vaccination process and the medical field in general.

“Many of you have heard me tell the story: I never believed that I could be a doctor, much less the surgeon general of the United States because I had never met another black doctor, even though he was ace, the first doctor I knew of color was Dr. Ben Carson when he was in college, “he said.

He continued:

“It took me so long to believe it could be, because it took me so long to see it. And that’s why I couldn’t be happier or feel more called to receive this vaccine that so many people of color had in development and testing and that has the potential. to correct at least some of the health disparities that this pandemic has revealed. “

See US Surgeon General Jerome Adams:

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