RED STICK, La. (AP) – Bands playing a coronavirus vaccine 24 hours a day by car event. Doses delivered to commercial fishermen just minutes from the docks. Emerging vaccination clinics in a Buddhist temple, homeless shelters, truck stops and casinos, with shots available at night or on weekends.
And now, door-to-door dissemination is starting in neighborhoods where few people have been vaccinated.
Louisiana is making a full-cut press to get shots in the arms, with an aggressive and sometimes creative spread, to make vaccination as easy as possible. The effort occurs as vaccine supply increases, but demand does not.
The state has hired health workers, schools, community groups and church pastors to help avoid doubters and organize vaccination events. Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards has opened vaccination access to anyone 16 years of age or older. The health department has set up a call center to answer questions about vaccines and set appointments for those who do not have Internet access or have limited technical knowledge.
Civic organizations and religious groups working with the state have begun using tactics to get out of the vote, knocking on doors and making phone calls to launch the vaccine.
But even with widespread ease of access, Louisiana officials have trouble with a problem almost as annoying as COVID-19 itself: how to convince those who have no doubts about the shot to roll up their sleeves.
“I do not know what people expect. It just doesn’t make sense to me, but I will continue to appeal to them, “said Edwards.
Health officials predict a difficult time to reach the threshold that scientists believe is needed to stop the uncontrolled spread of COVID-19, a benchmark for 70% or more of the population with immunity either through vaccination or vaccination. past infection. The problem has taken on a special urgency as the most virulent and contagious virus strains reach the United States.
State surveys indicate that 40% or more of Louisiana residents are hesitant to get the vaccine or are unwilling to do so. And, although Louisiana administers doses at higher rates than some other southern states, it remains a bottom six when vaccinating adults over the age of 18, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Other states are also trying new approaches, either because they have seen notable declines in interest in vaccines or have concerns about equitable access.
The Alaska Department of Health is weighing in on the creation of vaccine clinics at airports. The Ohio health agency asked vaccine providers to develop sites near bus stops and consider offering mobile vaccination services. In Connecticut, the health department began an effort to call residents directly to schedule appointments. Mississippi works with local organizations to bring vaccines directly to seniors at home. The Alabama health agency examined the waiver of the vaccine to determine how it should craft messaging to attract doubters.
Dr. Catherine O’Neal, chief physician at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Louisiana’s capital, Baton Rouge, said she hears from people who believe vaccine information comes from social media, but also of people who just don’t have a sense of urgency to get a shot. Others worry about side effects.
“We have enough vaccine. … If you want an appointment, you can get it in a week, “O’Neal said. But for many” there’s no driving force in when they’ll get it. ”
Nearly 31% of the state’s population has received at least one dose of a vaccine that may require two doses, according to state data. More than 22% have been fully immunized.
Shane Pizani, a former sailor living in a New Orleans suburb, contracted COVID-19 shortly after Thanksgiving, with persistent symptoms for more than a month. Still, he was upset about the vaccine.
To alleviate his worries, he researched and discussed it with his doctor, getting information that he said made him more comfortable. When he received his first shot in mid-February, he had a panic attack.
Still, she got the second dose and then went to work to convince her mother, who was repeating conspiracy theories against the vaccines she saw on social media.
“I just kept going, keep going, keep going. I told him, ‘We will stop coming with the kids, because I can’t live with myself if I gave you COVID and something happened to you,’ ”Pizani said.“ So he finally went and got his date. “.
Kerri Tobin, a professor of education at Louisiana State University, initially worried that the vaccine would come together too quickly to be safe. He then saw how more friends in the healthcare industry and other people they trusted posted on social media about receiving their doses.
“It simply came to our notice then. And that keeps happening, ”he said.
Tobin received his second dose of the Pfizer vaccine in late March.
Health officials believe that a kind of word of mouth between friends and family will help increase vaccinations.
Surveys show those who are reluctant or do not want the vaccine to grow racial groups and regions. A recent LSU poll showed a greater disinterest of Republicans than Democrats. State officials are especially concerned about southwest Louisiana, where people are struggling to recover from consecutive hurricanes and appear to be less focused on the pandemic.
In each case, the Louisiana Department of Health and state officials are trying to find a persuasive approach. For example, the data show that black people have been vaccinated at lower rates, so the state reached out to African American pastors and organizes vaccination events in their churches. Historically, the state’s black university system has made its own outreach aimed at recruiting alumni and social and religious organizations to encourage people to get vaccinated.
Some parishes have begun administering vaccines to seniors with disabilities at home and have worked on shared participation services to provide free transportation to vaccination events.
This spread of the vaccine may be further complicated by this week’s break from the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine following reports of rare blood clots in six women who received it. Experts say it’s too early to know if this will increase reluctance in Louisiana and elsewhere.
Mike Bayham, secretary of the Louisiana Republican Party, had a tough battle with COVID-19 in March 2020. He slept for a week and treated the symptoms for weeks more.
He has now received his first shot and is encouraging fellow Republicans to do the same. Bayham tells friends and colleagues that the vaccine is one of the biggest hits of Donald Trump’s presidency, and shares details about how COVID-19 feels.
“You do not want this virus. Whatever the vaccine can do to you, the virus is much worse, ”Bayham said.