With the eligibility of Pfizer booster shots expanding in the U.S. offering additional protection from COVID-19, Tzu Chi USA’s Seattle Service Center began collaborating with a local clinic, International Community Health Services (ICHS), to provide further vaccination services to the community.

On August 8, 2021, Tzu Chi Medical Association sponsored a joint event in Long Island, providing free community health check-ups. This special event marked the first Tzu Chi medical outreach event since March of 2020. Further care for community health was offered through a grocery distribution that same day.

In the summer of July 2021, the state of California lifted most of its COVID-19 restrictions, and Tzu Chi USA’s community clinic, which had shut its doors for more than one year amid public health precautions, reopened again. The initial opening provided free check-ups to volunteers to ensure wellness at community events.

To help older Asian Americans receive the COVID-19 vaccine, doctors from Tzu Chi International Medical Association (TIMA) in Las Vegas worked together with the community to obtain 300 doses of the vaccine. Tzu Chi’s vaccination event was successfully completed in an orderly manner, and in this difficult time, the positive energy and compassion delivered a welcome warmth that soothed the heartache brought forth by COVID-19, enabling residents to feel that hope is indeed still on the horizon.