Volunteers and community leaders have taken to the streets in Coatesville to increase the local COVID-19 vaccination rate.

Poverty often tamps down vaccination rates in blue-collar communities like Coatesville, as citizens struggle with logistics such as transportation, work schedules, and caregiving obligations. Erin McCarthy and Justine McDaniel of The Philadelphia Inquirer examined the boots-on-the-ground effort to promote coronavirus shots in this area of Chester County.

Ann Cunningham, a member of Coatesville’s New Life in Christ Fellowship Church, has been walking around the city for weeks. Her repeated question: Have you been vaccinated? She queries everybody she encounters, whether it be at laundromats, on front porches, or in parked cars.

She often faces rejection — especially among young people — when she gets a “No. And I’m not going to.” But she continues on and is inspired every time she manages to change somebody’s mind.

The last Friday in April was especially successful for Cunningham. She managed to persuade a few dozen people to head to the Coatesville Area Senior Center to get their first shot.

“We’re seeing that outreach is critical,” said Cunningham. “We have to actually go to people and say, ‘Go get it, now, from here.’”

Read more about the efforts to combat vaccine hesitancy in The Philadelphia Inquirer.