"Knowing that I had the backing of my pastor definitely played a role in my decision to take the vaccine; I knew I had to give it some thought," Thompson said."This Covid is out of control and I'm at a point where I believe if we're ever going to get our lives back, we really don't have a choice but to be vaccinated.
"As a church, we have a responsibility to do our due diligence, because for many in our community, we are considered trusted messengers. We want to make sure we don't lead anybody down the wrong path," says Thompson, who also sits on the Covid-19 vaccination advisory board for Alameda County, California, where her church is located.
Thompson said she has made it a priority to keep her members engaged. Her efforts include hosting the mobile testing site where Shepherd works, which has tested more than 30,000 people to date.
"Despite valid historical issues of community mistrust of the medical community and vaccination, we are actively responding and critically engaged as a church," she said."We are not focused on being so 'heavenly-minded' that we are of no earthly good. We do our best to help our members understand the reality of this disease, just like we do the reality of diabetes, the reality of high blood pressure, and the reality of cancer.
Many believe such efforts could be pivotal in turning the tide on the devastating effects the virus continues to impose on embattled populations. For example, Black people are
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