Boston, MA – Today the Massachusetts Public Health Association (MPHA) issued a statement praising the Legislature for calling oversight hearings to investigate the Baker Administration’s rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine. MPHA has repeatedly expressed disappointment regarding the Administration’s lack of engagement with leaders in the communities that have been hardest hit by the pandemic.

“The COVID vaccines are an incredibly valuable tool in the fight against this disease,” said MPHA Executive Director Carlene Pavlos. “But to bring an end to this pandemic, we must ensure that those communities with the highest rates of infection and death have real access to the vaccines.”

“Black and Latinx communities have borne a disproportionate burden of infections, hospitalizations, and deaths,” continued Pavlos. “Yet, we are seeing that they have some of the lowest vaccination rates in the state.  There must be both accountability and change, and we applaud the Legislature for calling oversight hearings to investigate this and other issues related to the vaccine rollout.”

Read the full release.