APPLETON, Wis. (NBC 26) -- Vaccines are available by the thousands in Northeast Wisconsin. And all you have to do is sign up.
But Kou Vang says it's not that easy for a Fox Valley community that's been hit hard by COVID-19.
"Out of the number of deaths that we've had, which is about 20 since October, about 16 of them have been COVID," Vang, the Board President of the Hmong American Partnership of the Fox Valley, said.
For others, the worries of the pandemic have taken a toll.
"Especially the older population, they are definitely living in fear of getting this virus," Vang said.
Now, some local organizations are doing their part to put a halt to that trend.
On Saturday, a pop-up vaccination clinic for the Hmong community is set to take place in Appleton at the Long Cheng Marketplace.
"We have received a lot of calls where we have to register the Hmong community or the community in general," Vang said. "And then send that either to the city or to Walgreens or other resources."
As a leader in the Hmong community, Vang says he's had to help his neighbors sign up for shots because of language barriers and outdated technology.
Other members of the Hmong population say cultural norms have played a part in high death rates and lagging vaccination.
"When they feel they can't move anymore, that's when they seek healthcare," Long Vue, a Director of the Wis. United Coalition of Mutual Assistance Association, said. "And that's when it's too late. And it's unfortunate. It's so sad. But it's happening in the Hmong community."
Clinic organizers say the goal is to bring doses to a group that's vulnerable to COVID-19.
"This is a population that's not gonna go, unfortunately, to the Expo Center to receive a vaccine," Ascension Wisconsin's Nichole Gladney said. "They will want to go in a place that's very comfortable, a place that they have come to visit."
With almost 5,000 fellow Hmong living in the Fox Cities, Vang says he doesn't want to see another life taken by the coronavirus.
"For me personally, it's going to be a great feeling knowing that they're safe and that their family is safe," he said.
