UFW Foundation Executive Director Diana Tellefson Torres issued the following statement after becoming a part of California’s Community Vaccine Advisory Committee:

As farm workers on the frontlines of the novel coronavirus keep America fed even as they are infected with COVID-19 at alarming levels, it is imperative field laborers be among the first to receive COVID-19 vaccines. Farm workers must be prioritized and also have access to factual, scientific information about vaccines in the languages and indigenous dialects they speak. That is why the UFW Foundation is proud to be a part of the state’s initial COVID-19 vaccine plan—helping to craft a plan for the eventual distribution and administration of anti-virus vaccines. UFW Foundation will work to ensure vital information reaches farm workers in rural communities and assure members of the community that being vaccinated is safe and vital once the life-saving immunizations become available.

The Community Vaccine Advisory Committee, to which UFW Foundation now belongs, will be chaired by California Surgeon General Dr. Nadine Burke Harris. The committee will provide input and feedback for ongoing planning and engagement efforts to ensure equitable vaccine distribution and allocation.

For more about the committee, see: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/COVID-19Vaccine.aspx  

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