Kristina Terrell said she has friends and family members who refused to be vaccinated. Their hesitancy is part of a problem that advocates have been trying to solve for more than two years: lower uptake of COVID vaccines in Black communities across Allegheny County.

Author Archives: Venuri Siriwardane
Venuri Siriwardane is a health reporter for PublicSource, with a focus
on mental health. She comes to PublicSource through the Staunton Farm
Mental Health Reporting Fellowship.
Venuri has a dual background in journalism and social science
research. As a reporter, she’s covered tech and business for Inc.
magazine and The Star-Ledger in New Jersey. As a researcher, she’s
studied the California DMV’s treatment of undocumented people. She
holds a master’s degree in politics and communication from The London
School of Economics and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Temple
University. She loves playing tennis and reading about South Asian
history and politics. Contact: venuri@publicsource.org.