Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi Encourages COVID-19 Vaccinations

The Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi is encouraging its members and all Hawaiʻi residents to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The group issued a press release today saying the message is being shared, “especially with the threat of new variants emerging worldwide and the continued  community spread currently underway throughout the islands.”

The Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi’s State Central Committee, the governing body of the organization, recently passed Resolution 2021-03 (see below) by a unanimous vote, which “encourages all members of the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi and all members of the public who are eligible, and who do not otherwise have a medical contraindication or hold an objection based on bona fide religious tenets and practices, to get vaccinated against COVID-19 to keep themselves, their family members, and others in the community safe from significant COVID-19 illness.”

While 66.6% of the total state population has been vaccinated against COVID-19 to date, there are still nearly 150,000 eligible Hawaiʻi residents who have not yet received the vaccine. 

“The vaccine is the most effective tool we have to protect ourselves, our families, and our neighbors against COVID-19. Everyone must play their part to help us end the pandemic – including our members,” said Shannon Matson, Vice Chair of the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi, who received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine in May at the Pāhoa Community Center. Matson has been active in the Puna community assisting with food distribution during the pandemic, and also led the Hawaiʻi County Democratic Party’s food drive over the July 4th weekend.

“This resolution is an important step toward ending the pandemic in the islands, and I am proud of our party’s leadership body for making their position in strong support of vaccination crystal clear,” said Tyler Dos Santos-Tam, Chair of the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi, who received two doses of the Moderna vaccine this spring at the Windward Health Center.