VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Tasha Turnbull of T2 Fitness says she’s partnering with the Virginia Beach Department of Health to host a COVID-19 vaccination clinic to save lives in the Black community.
“I saw a lot of people in our community, not just becoming ill, but severely ill, to the point that they had to be hospitalized,” said Turnbull about the toll COVID-19 is taking on the Black community. “I'm not talking about elderly people. I'm talking about people in their 50s. I'm talking about people in their 40s. I'm talking about people in our 30s. [COVID-19] is affecting a wide range of the African-American community.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Black people are nearly twice as likely to die from a COVID-19 infection, and nearly three times as likely to be hospitalized compared to white people in the United States.
“We are disproportionately being affected by [COVID-19]. So what are we going to do? Are we going to just wait for it to happen? No, we need to take action,” said Turnbull. “I have to protect myself, and I'm going to do what I can to protect my community.”
Turnbull, who has been a pillar of fitness in the Virginia Beach community for more than a decade with her T2 Fitness Studio, said she was initially hesitant about the vaccines.
“Of course at the beginning I was skeptical, but the thing, is I did my research,” said Turnbull, who explained that studies showing the vaccines available in the United States prevent severe or deadly outcomes from COVID-19, and have rare incidents of side effects, encouraged her to move forward with getting a shot.
“It is affecting a wide range of the African-American community,” Turnbull said.
Turnbull is helping people sign up for the health department’s vaccine clinic at the Virginia Beach Convention Center next Thursday, April 15th. The clinic runs from 9am until 4pm. You can register now by following this link.
