Belgium has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world. But behind these statistics there are big differences. In St. Josse, one of the poorest districts of Brussels, the district councilor is on a special mission: to convince people to get vaccinated.
From a 25 euro bonus to free PCR tests, Emir Kir has it all. You work with everything. You target minorities and all age groups as well as people who are afraid of a vaccination, he says.
St. Josse is just a stroll from the European Quarter. The city councilor primarily blames poverty and social segregation for the low vaccination rate. Only one in five adults has been vaccinated once, compared to more than 80 percent in richer parts of the city such as Woluwe-Saint-Pierre.
He doesn’t know why many think that everyone in Europe is rich. There are many poor and old people in his district. People who don’t have access to social media.
Online registrations for vaccinations as well as language barriers were a hurdle for the vaccination campaign.
Emir Kir wants to prove that a successful campaign can only be carried out at the bottom. Since the beginning of the crisis, the answers have been local, not national and regional. It is better that people deal with contacts they trust – and not with anonymous officials.
The district chairman is a local celebrity. He hopes to win the race against Covid with determination.
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