Community Groups Help Older, Low-Income Asian Americans Get Vaccine Access in Minn.

The Minnesota Department of Health has launched a new program to help low-income Asian American seniors access the COVID-19 vaccine with the help of community groups, reports NBC News . Under the program, the Phelan Family Pharmacy and the Hmong Medical Association coordinated to accelerate vaccinations in Hmong enclaves as an alternative to the state's online registration system. The Hmong Medical Association reached out to Hmong churches, nonprofits, ethnic radio stations, adult day care centers, and primary care clinics. Nationally, about 5 percent of Asian Americans have received COVID-19 shots, a rate comparable to their share of total cases and deaths and of the population, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Yet experts say these numbers conceal inequities among ethnic groups: East Asian Americans, for instance, have significantly different health outcomes from South Asian Americans and Southeast Asian Americans. State demographics also indicate disparities, as Asian Americans comprise 5 percent of Minnesota's population, but only 3 percent are immunized.