Gov. Roy Cooper: Vaccine distribution to communities of color needs to be "intentional"

The state of North Carolina has been been conscientiously working to combat vaccine hesitancy among communities of color, and is being "intentional" about distribution, Gov. Roy Cooper (D) said at an Axios event on Wednesday.

Why it matters: Communities of color are hesitant to get vaccinated because of medical mistrust brought on by systemic racism in the health cares system.

• Cooper also attributed the disproportionate number of COVID cases in communities of color to the lack of preventative health care, crowded living conditions and that members of these communities are most likely to be frontline workers.

What he's saying: "This pandemic has been shining a light on challenges that already exist, and we know that this virus has hit communities of color and underserved communities extra hard. "

• "It involves going into communities and working," Cooper told Axios. "And we're working with our providers to get that done. And it's one of the priorities that we're emphasizing. You need to be doing this and being intentional about it."

Elected leaders and ministers in North Carolina are reaching out to communities of color to show the vaccine is safe.

By the numbers: The number of vaccinations grew from 11% of the Black population to 80% after a targeted efforts to educate communities of color, Cooper said.

Watch the full event here.