Videos: All COVID-19 information you need in Spanish, Somali, Hmong and English
This story comes to you from Sahan Journal, a nonprofit newsroom dedicated to providing authentic news reporting about Minnesota's new immigrants and refugees. MPR News is a partner with Sahan Journal and will be sharing stories between SahanJournal.com and MPRNews.org.
By Sahan Journal staff
Since the vaccine against COVID-19 started to become available in Minnesota, we’ve listened to your concerns.
We know demand for the COVID-19 vaccine is high, and confusion over how to get one is even higher.
We’ve highlighted in our stories how community health clinics are doing their part to get doses out to immigrant communities. We’ve reported on the complexity of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, its roots, and ways to overcome it. And while the state still hasn’t released any data on how its vaccine rollout is reaching immigrants and refugees, we know Minnesota falling short of its goal.
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So Sahan Journal has launched a video series to help.
As Dr. Veronica Svetaz, a family medicine physician at Hennepin Healthcare and co-founder of the Minnesota Immigrant Health Alliance recently told us, public health messaging works best when it comes directly “from people who belong to the same community.”
We’ve prepared four videos to answer some basic but burning questions about the vaccine. Who is eligible to receive a dose right now? How can they obtain one? How many doses are available?
Our first video features Jessica Acevedo. You may know her better as La Trompudita from her radio show on El Rey. Acevedo also works as a teacher for PICA Head Start and has been vaccinated herself. She answers these questions in Spanish.
COVID-19 vacuna: Preguntas Más Frecuentes
Michael Yang, who works for the City of Minneapolis doing outreach in Southeast Asian communities, hosts a weekly program on WIXK 1590 AM. Yang has been working to deliver essential COVID-19 information to the local Hmong community through his radio show since the beginning of the pandemic. He answers these same questions in Hmong for our second video.
Tshauj COVID-19: Cov lus nquag nug
Maxamuud Mascadde, one of the most recognizable Somali broadcast journalists in Minnesota, answers COVID-19 questions in Somali for our final video.
Maxamuud, a veteran journalist, has been covering the COVID-19 for the Somali TV web channel in Minnesota, Voice of America Somali, and other media outlets. He’s also hosted talk shows about COVID-19 featuring Somali health experts answering questions and concerns from viewers.
Tallaalka COVID-19: Su’aalaha badanaa la isweydiiyo.
Finally, Sahan Journal’s own Hibah Ansari, who reports on immigration policy, hosts the video in English.