So few people came to get COVID-19 vaccines in a North Carolina county that the hospitals that are there now allow anyone 16 years of age or older to get a shot, no matter where they live. Get a shot, get a free donut, the governor said.
Alabama, which has the lowest vaccination rate in the country and a county where only 7% of residents are fully vaccinated, launched a campaign to convince people that the shots are safe. Doctors and pastors joined the effort.
Nationwide, the Biden administration has launched a “We Can Do This” campaign this week to encourage patients to get vaccinated against the virus that has caused more than 550,000 lives in the U.S.
The race continues to vaccinate as many people as possible, but a significant number of Americans are so far reluctant to receive the shots, even in places where they are plentiful. According to a new survey by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, twenty-five percent of Americans say they will probably or definitely not get vaccinated.
They are wary of possible side effects. They tend to be Republicans, and are usually younger and less likely to become critically ill or die if they catch COVID-19.
However, there has been a slight change since the first weeks of the country’s largest vaccination campaign, which began in mid-December. An AP-NORC survey conducted in late January showed that 67% of adult Americans were willing to get vaccinated or had already received at least one shot. Now that figure has risen to 75%.
This, according to experts, brings the nation closer to herd immunity, which occurs when there are enough people with immunity, either against vaccination or past infection, to stop the uncontrolled spread of a disease.
Anywhere, 75% to 85% of the total population, including children, who are currently not being shot, should be vaccinated to get the herd immunity, said Ali Mokdad, a professor of metric science at the health at the University of Washington School of Public Health
Just over three months after the first doses were given, 100 million Americans, or about 30% of the population, have received at least one dose.
Andrea Richmond, a 26-year-old freelance web programmer in Atlanta, is among those whose reluctance is reduced. A few weeks ago, Richmond opted not to get the shot. Possible long-term effects worried her. I knew that an H1N1 vaccine used years ago in Europe increased the risk of narcolepsy.
Her sister was then vaccinated without any side effects. The opinions of Richmond’s friends also changed.
“They went from‘ I don’t trust that ’to‘ I’m all wrapped up, let’s go! “
Her mother, a cancer survivor with whom Richmond lives, is so eager for her daughter to get vaccinated that she signed her online to punch her.
“I’ll probably end up taking it,” Richmond said. “I guess it’s my civic duty.”
But some remain firmly opposed.
“I think I’ve only had the flu once,” said Lori Mansour, 67, who lives near Rockford, Illinois. “So I think I’ll take my risks.”
In the latest poll, Republicans were more likely than Democrats to say they probably or definitely won’t get vaccinated, 36% compared to 12%. But a little less Republicans today are reluctant. In January, 44% said they would shy away from the vaccine.
The hesitation can be seen in Winston County, a rural country in Alabama, which is 96% white and where more than 90% of voters supported then-President Donald Trump last year. Only 6.9% of the county’s approximately 24,000 residents are fully vaccinated, the lowest level in Alabama.
Elsewhere in Alabama, health officials tried to counter the problems that include reluctance to very black areas where distrust of government medical initiatives extends deep. They went to some counties with a message in favor of the vaccine, especially in the old plantation region, where a large percentage of the population is black and many are poor.
The campaign recruited doctors and pastors and used virtual meetings and radio to broadcast.
Dr. Karen Landers, assistant state health official, said the effort had positive results. For example, in Perry County, where 68% of the population of about 9,300 are black, more than 16% of the population is completely vaccinated, among the highest levels. Officials will likely make similar efforts for other parts of the state, he said.
Across the country, 24% of black Americans and 22% of Hispanic Americans say they will probably or definitely not get vaccinated, below 41% and 34% in January, respectively. Among white Americans, 26% now say they will not be vaccinated. In January, that figure was 31%.
The Biden administration campaign includes TV ads and social media. Celebrities and religious and community figures join the effort.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, a Republican, is trying to win a third of adult Iowans who will not commit to getting vaccinated by emphasizing that the shots will help restore normal life.
In Cumberland County, North Carolina, less than 1 in 6 residents have received at least one shot.
Amid concerns that there would be an unused vaccine surplus, Cape Fear Valley Health hospital systems opened the session last week to anyone 16 years of age or older.
“Instead of stopping using the doses, we want to give more people a chance to get the vaccine,” said Chris Tart, vice president of Cape Fear Valley Health. “Hopefully this will encourage more people to roll up their sleeves.”
On Wednesday, Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, tweeted in a video where he was getting a free donut from the Krispy Kreme chain. Guests who show their vaccination card can get a free donut every day for the rest of the year.
“Do it today, guys!” Cooper cheered on the spectators. Nearly 36% of North Carolina adults have been vaccinated at least partially, according to state data.
Younger people are more likely to give up a shot. Of those under 45, 31% say they will likely or definitely give up a shot. Only 12% of those over 60 say they will not be vaccinated.
Ronni Peck, a three-year-old, forty-year-old mother from Los Angeles, is one of those people who plans to avoid getting vaccinated, at least for now. He is concerned that vaccines have not been studied for long-term health effects. He senses that some friends disapprove of his stance.
“But I’ve stopped worrying about whether I’m feeling ostracized or not and I’ve learned to spend more time worrying about whether I’m doing the right thing for myself and my kids,” Peck said.
Deborah Fuller, a professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine, said that if the herd’s immunity level can’t be reached soon, a more realistic goal could vaccinate at least 50 percent of the population this summer, with a higher vaccination rate more vulnerable to reduce serious illness, hospitalizations and deaths.
“In this scenario, the virus would persist in the population, but it would cease to be a major health threat that would overload our healthcare systems,” Fuller said.
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Selsky reported from Salem, Oregon. Fingerhut reported from Washington. Weber reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press writers Bryan Anderson in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Jay Reeves in Birmingham, Alabama, also contributed to this story.
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The AP-NORC survey of 1,166 adults was conducted March 26-29 using a sample taken from the AmeriSpeak panel based on NORC probabilities, designed to be representative of the American population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is approximately 3.6 percentage points.