TAMPA, Fla. — Every Sunday morning, people go to church. Why not help to get people vaccinated against COVID-19, too?
That's the thinking behind a new pilot program between the state, county and city, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said.
Enough vaccine doses for 500 people over the age of 65 were available Sunday at St. John Progressive Missionary Baptist Church, located at 2504 Chipco St.
"We are providing these vaccinations for the congregation," Castor said. "I talked to the emergency manager at the state level and I said, 'What better location than a church?' Everyone, no matter what's going on in your life, you can get to church on Sunday morning."
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis last week announced the initiative aimed to get more vaccines into underserved communities by partnering with local churches. According to his office, seven sites -- including the church in Tampa -- across the state will have the capacity to administer 500 doses per day.
Walk-ups are not accepted.
"Faith leaders, I think, have a responsibility to instruct their flocks, their congregations, those who look to them for guidance--to be aware of this vaccination and this opportunity to blend faith with action," Rev. Kenneth Irby, the pastor of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, said in an earlier interview.
Irby's church, the oldest African American church in St. Petersburg, is located in an area with the second-highest COVID-19 rate in Pinellas County.
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