Johns Hopkins University in Maryland conducted an online meetup Wednesday night, where young people got together with public health professionals to talk about the impact of COVID-19 on their lives.
The 90-minute session featured breakout rooms, hip-hop music with a vaccine message, and a multiple choice quiz.
The music was part of an animated short promoting the COVID-19 vaccine.
“It’s about community immunity,” went the lyrics of the tune. “If doc says it’s good, then trust me it’s good … time for us to trust and not debate, the vaccine, believe, it’s safe to take.”
The catchy tune was produced by New York-based Hip Hop Public Health, which aims to foster positive health behavior through hip-hop music.
Young celebrities were part of the meetup and shared their challenges during the pandemic.
“I struggled trying to find myself and my mental health. And one thing that really changed for me was being OK with being alone and learning to enjoy the alone time and getting to know myself,” said Talia Jackson, a member of the cast of Netflix’s “Family Reunion.”
Public health professionals told the young people that they believe fear is one of the drivers behind some people’s hesitancy to take the vaccine. And the physicians, some of them involved in critical care of COVID-19 patients, encouraged everyone to get vaccinated when eligible and follow safety protocols.
“You realize the best way to beat COVID is to not just get COVID at all, and you guys can help with that. You guys can promote that messaging, helping the community understand what it means to wear a face mask, what it means to be physically distant,” said Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos, assistant professor of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
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