CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Nueces County recently determined through a study that there appear to be pockets of the community with higher rates of COVID-19 infections.
Local officials tell 3News they want to use stimulus dollars to increase awareness in those neighborhoods on the importance of getting the vaccine.
"In the 78415 district, there were more deaths than any place in the county," Councilman Roland Barrera sad. "And in my opinion of why that is, is access to care."
Barrera said he believes part of the answer is using some stimulus funds for an education barrage in under vaccinated areas.
"I don't think we've done enough," he said. "I think I agree with the infrastructure improvements that we need but I think if it's related to COVID, that we should spend a lot of the money on COVID and getting the access to those individuals."
City-County Health Director Annette Rodriguez agreed that more needs to be done as the country is seeing a spike in cases of the Delta variant among unvaccinated people.
RELATED: Nueces County Officials: Four fully vaccinated patients died of COVID-19 in last three months
"We need to do whatever we can," Rodriguez said. "Any innovative idea is welcomed at this time. Whatever we can to be there, where these numbers are low, to actually be able to talk to these individuals and find out what is the reason why they think that vaccines aren't going to be helpful to themselves or their family members."
Nueces County recently received the results of a Texas Health Institute's report that focused on health data for Nueces County residents before and after the start of the pandemic.
- The report found that Hispanic and Black residents have higher COVID-19 rates compared to their share of the population.
- Hispanics make up 64-percent of the county but 68-percent came down with COVID.
- White residents make up 29-percent of the population and 27-percent tested positive.
- 4-percent of Blacks residents had COVID while they make up 3-percent of the folks living in Nueces County.
Rodriguez said our vaccination rate is not yet where it should be.
"The 12 years and older, we're at about 69-percent that have been vaccinated, which sounds good but there's still that 30-percent that haven't been vaccinated," Rodriguez added.
"When you take in the whole population and you're really closer to 50-percent and the reason is you have a whole group of individuals that are 11 years and younger too that there is no vaccine for them."
For the latest updates on coronavirus in the Coastal Bend, click here.
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