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News Articles

Free Covid-19 Vaccines and Resources for Most Impacted Communities

May 17, 2021

From the Office for Social Ministry

Pacific Islanders, Native Hawaiians and Filipinos are most severely affected by COVID-19 infections and deaths in Hawaii, according to a recent report by the state Department of Health. Studies show these three groups have the highest rates of exposure, since they make up nearly half of the essential workforce in Hawaiʻi, which includes tourism, hospitality, food and healthcare industries. These specific ethnicities also suffer from chronic diseases, making them more vulnerable to the coronavirus; yet have limited access to healthcare and medical insurance themselves during the pandemic. The report also estimates that because of these factors, Pacific Islanders have the highest rate of COVID-related deaths in the country.   

Fortunately, government and non-profit groups are now working together to help change these alarming statistics through a newly established Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) Covid-19 Response, Recovery and Resilience Team, which is committed to addressing the needs of this under-served population. One of the functions of the NHPI Response Team is to identify and lend support to initiatives such as providing targeted messaging in various languages to communicate COVID safety protocols and free vaccine events. For more information, visit the NHPI website.

The State of Hawaii COVID-19 Portal also offers various COVID related documents and brochures translated for pacific islanders and more!  For those whose first language is not English, you may find what you need by visiting the DOH Translations website.

COVID VACCINATION - If you or someone you know needs language translation assistance to register for a vaccination appointment, call (808) 586-8332 Monday thru Saturday from 7:45 AM till 8:00 PM.

Available resources on the State COVID portal include:

• COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions
• COVID-19 Vaccine Brochure
• COVID-19 Vaccine Screening Questions
• Resources and services for those without health insurance
• Process to Request a Replacement Vaccination Card

There are many resources available to help those in need. Please share these links with your fellow parishioners. For additional information, visit the OSM COVID-19 Resources page. Let’s all do our part to keep Hawaii safe and healthy!