vaccine haitian community
Pharmacist Serge Dorime delivers a coronavirus vaccine at his Crown Heights pharmacy in March. Photo by Sam Bojarski

Vaccination rates in the majority of New York’s Haitian neighborhoods are lagging behind the rest of the city, according to the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH). With the holiday season’s arrival, some social service groups aim to increase the number of inoculated residents in hopes of curbing the amount of people who might get sick from large gatherings.

“There’s a lot of misinformation out there, and then you have to figure out what people want, why are they so afraid of having this,” said Melinda Placide, development and special projects associate with Haitian Americans United for Progress (HAUP). 

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Sam is a reporter for The Haitian Times and a 2020 Report for America corps member. He has covered Haiti and its diaspora since 2018. His work has also appeared in USA Today, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and Haiti Liberte. Sam can be reached at sam@haitiantimes.com or on Twitter @sambojarski.

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Paul Jr. Prudent

Paul Junior Prudent started his journalism career in 2011 at Radio Ibo in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. In 2018, he received accreditation from the NBA to cover the Knicks and the Nets for Radio Ibo. He's collaborated with multiple media outlets in Haiti including Le Nouvelliste, Le Matin, Ayibopost, and Port-au-Prince Post.