Here’s your shot to get answers about vaccine

UPDATE (Aug. 19, 2021) — Here is a recording of the Aug. 18 WSLC Vaccine Town Hall. It has also been posted on the WSLC’s Vaccine Information webpage.

Submit your questions now about COVID-19 vaccine’s safety and effectiveness, and get answers from the experts at WSLC Vaccine Town Hall on Wednesday

The Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO will hold a Vaccine Town Hall webinar Wednesday, Aug. 18 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on the importance of COVID-19 vaccination for personal and public safety. Dr. Ben Danielson of the UW School of Medicine and Dr. Stephaun Wallace of Fred Hutch will answer questions about the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines and Terri Nicholson of SEIU Healthcare 1199NW, a longtime RN leader from Valley Hospital in Spokane Valley, will describe what is happening in hospitals amid the current surge in the Delta variant of the coronavirus.

All are invited to attend, particularly those who remain unvaccinated because of questions or concerns about the vaccines. Click here to register via Zoom.

How can we be sure the vaccines are safe when they were developed so fast, and the FDA has not yet officially approved them? What’s so bad about the Delta variant that vaccination is suddenly so important? How can we trust what we’re told about vaccines when there is so much misinformation?

Get answers to these questions, or submit your own questions in advance.

Dr. Ben Danielson is a physician and clinical professor at the department of pediatrics, UW School of Medicine. He is an advocate for equitable health care and a respected voice on the detrimental impacts of racism on health. For more than 20 years, he was the medical director of the Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic, a pediatric care center built to serve the health needs of children in Seattle’s Central District. In November 2020, Danielson resigned this position, citing institutional racism and a resistance to change inherent in the leadership at Seattle Children’s Hospital.

Dr. Stephaun Wallace is a Staff Scientist in the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. He is a research epidemiologist and an expert in developing, implementing and evaluating major public health and human service programs in the areas of prevention, care and treatment of HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases globally. He is also the director of external relations of both the HIV Vaccine Trials Network and the COVID-19 Prevention Network.