DENVER (KDVR) — About 600 people in Denver received a COVID-19 vaccine this weekend, at a small drive-up event that focused on addressing equity issues.
Denver City Councilwoman Jamie Torres helped organize the event at Servicios De La Raza, near Federal Boulevard and Colfax Avenue.
“The point of doing it here is really making it accessible, to what we recognize, is a disproportionately affected population,” Torres said.
Specifically, Torres is addressing the Latino and Hispanic populations.
More than half of Denver’s COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths are among Hispanic adults, even though they make up just about a quarter of the city’s population, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report from December.
Data from the Colorado Department of Health and Environment shows just more than 4% of the vaccines have gone to Hispanics statewide. The state does not have data for about 18% of vaccine recipients.
“The Latino community is not homogeneous,” Torres said. “They don’t have a singular issue, which is why it’s so important to understand the community.”
It’s also why Torres is helping to plan more vaccine events in her district at other places, including churches and community centers.