CHICAGO – His last job was selling cars, but in his new gig, working to turn the tide against a pandemic, Herman Simmons knows not to be too pushy or overbearing.
He’s one of more than 50 outreach workers a Chicago hospital has enlisted to promote vaccination against COVID-19 in hard-hit Black and brown neighborhoods .
Their job is approaching strangers at laundromats, grocery stores and churches, handing out educational pamphlets and making vaccination appointments for those who are willing. ‘’I see myself as my brother’s keeper.
I don’t try to force them. I’m persistent,’’ he said. Top U.S. health officials say they’re in a race to vaccinate as many people as quickly as possible as COVID-19 variants spread, mask and distancing rules are