ATLANTA — Vaccine hesitancy is a term we've become familiar with, especially within minority communities. According to a new Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) study, we're starting to see some progress in the Latino community.
The study by the nonprofit, which focuses on non-partisan health research, shows that a third of unvaccinated Hispanic adults want to get the vaccine as soon as possible. That's two times higher than white and Black adults.
For months, organizations like the Latino Community Fund (LCF) have been trying to fight vaccine hesitancy in communities of color.
"They think I can't afford to get sick and not be able to go to work because then how are my bills going to get paid? If there's a way to prevent it, I need it now," said Ulyssa Muñoz who represents the organization in south Georgia.
LCF said it has been working closely with churches and businesses in communities of color to build up trust after it said many Latinos feared getting the vaccine because of lack of information in their language or concerns about getting asked for identification.
"I think it's important [for them to get the vaccine] because here in the south it's very common for people to work in agriculture and you work with these people every single day and sometimes you're in the same car with these people," said Muñoz.
LCF said there are still many hurdles it is trying to help the community overcome, including accessibility, but one of the biggest problems is trying to find a time to get the vaccine and do work.
"Sometimes they can't get the vaccine because they get out late [from work] and they can't go anywhere where they're offering the vaccine, or they're scared they won't get time off because they feel sick because of the vaccine," she added.
Some Latinos, like Erica Corona, decided to wait and see how the vaccine would react for other people. Corona said she got her second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Sunday.
"I wanted to hear more about the vaccine before getting it," said Corona in a Spanish interview that has since been translated by 11Alive's Paola Suro. "I was scared at first but then decided I had to put it on for my health and my family's health."
She said that when her church started offering the shots, and when she started seeing more information in Spanish, her mind was made up.
"Today there's more information than at the beginning," she added. "I've heard from other people's experiences with the vaccine, too."
KFF's study also says that about 26% of Hispanic adults, some of who are undocumented, decided to stop participating in government assistance because of immigration-related fears; so, now they're not receiving that healthcare aid - another reason why they want the vaccine right now.