Adm. Levine promotes vaccine awareness at Whitman-Walker forum

washingtonblade.com:

Dr. Rachel Levine, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of Health and the federal government’s highest-ranking transgender official, called on community leaders to join her in a campaign to promote vaccinations to curtail respiratory illness at a forum organized by the LGBTQ supportive medical center Whitman-Walker Health.

Levine, a pediatrician, was joined by four fellow physicians, three of whom are with Whitman-Walker, and an official with the LGBTQ seniors advocacy group SAGE, in a panel discussion called “Protecting Our Health In the New Year: A Conversation on Flu, COVID-19, and RSV Vaccines.” Among other things, Levine talked about a vaccination promotion program she is involved with at the U.S.

Department of Health and Human Services called “Risk Less and Do More.” “I’m extremely passionate about vaccines and the role they play in preventing respiratory illness and keeping communities healthier,” Levine told the gathering, held at Whitman-Walker’s Max Robinson Center. “And the success of ‘Risk Less, Do More’ is rooted in partnerships with community leaders across America who have provided reliable information to community members so that they can make the best informed decisions about their health and access one of the best tools that we have to protect our health – vaccinations,” Levine said.

She noted that separate vaccines are now available for three respiratory illnesses that can potentially be life-threatening – flu, COVID-19, and Respiratory Syncytial Virus known as RSV. “While aiming to limit respiratory virus spread among all Americans, the ‘Risk Less, Do More’ campaign has placed particular focus on high-risk populations who are at the greatest risk for becoming seriously ill,” Levine said. “This includes people who are not up to date on their vaccines, those who are 65 years and older, residents in long-term care facilities, pregnant people, those living in rural areas where healthcare access is limited, and racial and ethnic populations who are more at