Washington National Cathedral will host a live-streamed vaccination of DC-area faith leaders at 5 PM on March 16. Anthony Fauci and NIH director Francis Collins will offer opening remarks about the importance of getting the vaccine before about 25 rabbis, imams, and priests are inoculated.
The event is intended to sow more trust in the efficacy and safety of the vaccine, especially in Black and Brown communities that have been disproportionately affected by the virus. “The representation of multiple faith leaders of color at the event—each of whom will be getting vaccinated on camera—will send a message of trust in the vaccines’ safety and effectiveness from reliable messengers rooted in these communities,” a press release says.
There will also be remarks from Eliseo Pérez-Stable, director of the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities; Mariann Edgar Budde, Episcopal bishop of Washington; Leonard Hamlin, Sr., canon missioner of Washington National Cathedral; and Randolph Marshall Hollerith, dean of Washington National Cathedral.
The full event will be live-streamed here.