Members of the Northeast Ohio’s Hispanic community received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccines today at La Sagrada Familia Church on Detroit Avenue.

“I’m very blessed that I managed to get a vaccine in time,” said Alvaro Jiménez, a man who received his first vaccine dose.

The Hispanic community has been hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. The age adjusted mortality rate for Latino Americans is 2.5 times higher than for white Americans.

Jiménez understands the impact of COVID-19 first hand. He traveled to his home country of Costa Rica last March to visit his family. During his travels, he was forced to quarantine for weeks.

“Seeing how so many people were dying had a big impression on me,” he said.

Parochial administrator Francisco Honorato Garnica says the 200 shots that were distributed today are precious. “I know the people have really been waiting for this,” he said. “This is a good thing for the whole community.”

The event was a joint project that featured members of Neighborhood Family Practice, the Ohio Department of Health, and La Sagrada Familia Church.

Read the full article from 19 News here.