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Armenian American groups fight COVID misinformation | Los Angeles Times

In Armenia, it is estimated that less than a quarter of residents had gotten vaccinated against COVID-19 as of mid-December, even as the country has drawn vaccine tourists.

The numbers are not nearly as stark in Glendale and Los Angeles neighborhoods such as Little Armenia, Thai Town and Sunland-Tujunga — areas that are hubs for one of the biggest populations of Armenians outside Armenia.

But they have lagged behind the Los Angeles County average, troubling some community leaders and physicians who fear that enduring distrust of government — stemming from genocide, upheaval and a precarious history in other countries — has made it harder to sway some Armenian Americans to get the shots.

For immigrants from the former Soviet Union, “there wasn’t any trust or credibility toward government,” said Assemblyman Adrin Nazarian (D-North Hollywood). Other Armenians who came from countries including Iran, Lebanon and Syria, he said, had faced “civil wars, internal strife, fear of retribution.”

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Source: Armenian American groups fight COVID misinformation | Los Angeles Times