The Ohio Department of Health is hoping that a series of town halls will encourage more people to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

ODH will livestream four public town halls aimed at specific Ohio populations beginning Feb. 22. There will be town halls dedicated to Ohioans who are Black, Hispanic/Latino/Latina, Asian-American and Pacific Islander as well as those who live in rural areas, but anyone may watch and participate.

Town halls currently scheduled, as shown on ODH’s website:

  • Monday, Feb. 22, 6:30 p.m. – African American Ohioans
  • Tuesday, Feb. 23, 6:30 p.m. – Hispanic/Latino Ohioans
  • Monday, March 1, 6:30 p.m. – Asian American and Pacific Islander Ohioans
  • Tuesday, March 2, 6:30 p.m. – Rural Ohioans

The events, which will be livestreamed to Facebook, YouTube and Ohio’s coronavirus portal, will feature medical experts and community leaders who will discuss the vaccine’s safety and efficacy.

Within Ohio and around the nation, there is growing concern that coronavirus vaccines are not being distributed equitably among all populations. On Jan. 19, a Kaiser Family Foundation analysis showed the demographic distribution for vaccines was 82% white and 6% Black. Both vaccine production and distribution have since increased, and local and state leaders have shared focused plans to provide vaccines to more populations. But experts continue to worry about new variants on the virus and what that means for vaccinations.

On its website, the Ohio Department of Health says this about the town halls:

“Whether you hear myths on social media, at work, or from friends or family, there is a lot of dangerous misinformation out there about COVID-19 vaccines. The truth is that COVID-19 vaccines are safe, effective, and rigorously tested. Ohio’s COVID-19 Vaccine Town Halls are designed to help you sift through the myths and learn where you can find reliable, trustworthy information about COVID-19 vaccines.

In a Feb. 16 address, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said there are 943,291 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 reported in Ohio, along with 16,453 confirmed and probable COVID-19 deaths. 48,739 people have been hospitalized throughout the pandemic, including 6,949 admissions to intensive care units.

The Ohio Department of Health and the State Auditor are under fire for undercounting COVID-related deaths by as many as 4,000.

For more information about the town halls, go to ODH’s coronavirus portal.

This article appears in Feb 1-28, 2021.