The California Department of Public Health announced Sunday it has administered 7.3 million COVID-19 vaccines, according to the agency's website.
During a visit to a mobile vaccination site at the Faithful Central Bible Church in Los Angeles County Sunday, California Governor Gavin Newsom said the state is working to get more communities of color vaccinated.
According to data from the California Department of Public Health, 2.9% of Black people and 16% of Latino people in California have been given at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, compared to 32.7% of white California residents.
During the governor's visit, Faithful Central Bible Church pastors said they hope more "exposure and education" regarding the vaccine will encourage more people of color — especially Black and Latino Californians — to get vaccinated.
"This isn't the Tuskegee study," said one pastor, referring to the 1932-1972 unethical study in which the U.S. Public Health Service and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention inoculated hundreds of Black men with syphilis without informed consent.
Additional statistics from the state health department show there are 6,760 new cases of the virus Sunday, increasing the state's total to 3,441,946 cases.
State health officials reported 280 additional COVID-19-related deaths. As of Sunday, 49,105 people in California have died from the virus.
Officials said 229,472 COVID-19 tests have been administered as of Sunday afternoon, increasing the state's total to 47,043,348.
According to a news release from the Governor's Press Office, Newsom visited vaccination sites in Hayward, Coachella, San Francisco, Fresno, San Diego and Santa Clara to highlight the state's efforts to ramp up COVID-19 vaccinations.