Latino-Owned Brewery Targets Unvaccinated Community As COVID Delta Variant Concern Grows

DENVER (CBS4)- Raices Brewing Company CEO and Co-Founder Jose Beteta knows just how serious getting COVID-19 can be.

"My wife and I, we were both hospitalized for several weeks. We were intubated, we were on oxygen for a month after that as well. If the disease wasn't hard enough, the worst part of it was not being able to see our 6-year-old son for a whole month," Beteta told CBS4's Andrea Flores. "We got infected despite being very, very careful."

The Latino-owned business is partnering with CDPHE to host a second COVID-19 vaccine clinic this Saturday in one of the state's mobile vaccine clinics.

"Even if you take the most precautions you can, but it's still out there and nothing is going to protect you better than the vaccine at this point," said Beteta.

CDPHE estimates 90% of COVID cases could be due to the highly infectious Delta variant. State Vaccine Campaign Manager Tara Trujillo says unvaccinated communities of color, especially Latinos, are their top priority.

"Our marketing firm is creating everything organically from Latinos who understand the community, who go to the mercados, who go to the taquerias," Trujillo said. "They have blanketed Spanish radio, Spanish TV, Spanish print. We have blanketed bus stops, billboards, and busses in targeted Latino neighborhoods."

Beteta says while there is hesitation and fear in the Latino community, getting the vaccine is better than the alternative.

"Suffering some side effects for a few days or weeks is better than being dead," said Beteta.

Raices Brewing Company is hosting the clinic Saturday, July 10 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.