EAST MOLINE, Ill. — Tuesday at Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church in East Moline, Pastor P. Wonder Harris welcomed in all. But it wasn't for a service. People were coming from all around for their COVID-19 vaccine.
"Our community, the black diamond and champagne diamond community has been kind of last on the list for getting the vaccine," Pastor Harris said.
He says he worked with the Rock Island County Health Department to make the walk-in clinic possible.
"So we wanted to simplify it," he explained. "We said it's gonna be here at Mount Zion and if you have an appointment, you get priority, or you could just walk in. So that's it. That's what's working."
About 400 doses were on-hand Tuesday. Pastor Harris says about 50 people showed up. But he says ever shot was valuable.
"We've has some hesitancy," he said. "(Communities of color have) had some history of being experimented on and so forth and so that was a concern, you know, as to what this is."
Tascia Rhoden was hesitant to get the shot.
"I wasn't thinking about getting it either because I wasn't gonna get it at first because of the side effects," she said.
But her mother-in-law convinced her to go Tuesday.
"She just said, wanting to the shop, pick you guys up at noon," Rhoden said.
Now the mother and grandmother said she'll feel safer see her grandkids again. She hasn't seen them for months.
"Wow, I'm probably going to break down in tears because it's been so long," she said.
Now, Pastor Harris said he hopes people like Rhoden can give others the courage to get vaccinated. He said when people know someone who's vaccinated, it makes them feel safer about getting it.
Right now, Rock Island County's vaccination rates for some communities of color lag behind the population.
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, 4.62 percent of vaccinated people are black. However, 10 percent of the population is black in the county, according to 2019 census estimates. And Hispanics makeup about 6 percent of people vaccinated in the county, but makeup 13 percent of the county.
There will be another walk-in clinic in the middle of May for people to get their second doses and for some to get their first.