WORRIES LINGER AS SCHOOL YEAR NEARS
COVID-19 fears heightened as vaccination rate remains low in Hartford
HARTFORD — As hundreds of families from around the capital city stocked up on groceries and school supplies Tuesday at a music-filled block party in north Hartford, the most cautious parents looked around in worry.
For some, the busy community event outside Keney Park offered a preview of what’s to come Monday when the Hartford Public Schools start a new year entirely in person, moving on from virtual learning even as the coronavirus pandemic casts its shadow over a third school year. The decision has brought relief to many parents who struggled with shifting learning models and remote learning; for others, it’s a fresh source of stress after 18 overwhelming months of COVID-19.
“It makes me really uncomfortable, even being here,” said Denise Mitchell, a mother of three who is also pregnant. “We only came ’cause we need the backpacks, we need the food. I don’t like going outside though. It’s nerve-wracking for me.”
Mitchell, like a number of other parents at the event, has not gotten vaccinated against COVID-19. Hesitancy, fear and ambivalence about the shots are higher in poor, urban centers like Hartford, where only 42% of residents were fully vaccinated as of Aug. 18.
Mitchell’s doctor recommended she get the jab — all three vaccines are considered safe and effective for pregnant women — but Mitchell remains convinced it could put her and her baby at higher risk of contracting the virus. She acknowledged the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the Pfizer vaccine this week, but feels compelled to do more research of her own.
“I don’t want to put anything in my body that could possibly cause harm to my child, so as of right now it’s not for me,” she said. “I don’t want to just go based on what’s out there. My kids, all they have are me and dad, so I don’t want to put myself at risk before I know exactly what I’m doing.”
Daneisha Jumpp, of Hartford, hasn’t gotten the vaccine either. Though she’s exposed to many people in
her job working at the front desk of a hotel, she still doubts whether the vaccine would protect her or potentially harm her.
“It’s just my opinion about how quick they’re making them,” Jumpp said, sharing a common fear about the speed at which the COVID-19 vaccines were developed.
Jumpp brought her two elementary-age sons to the giveaway Tuesday and picked up some extra books to read to her baby girl. She’s excited to send her boys back to school Monday after seeing them struggle so much when they were learning remotely last year at Jumoke Academy Charter School.
“They definitely need their teacher,” she said.
The event was hosted by the nonprofit organizations Angel of Edgewood and Feed the Children, along with Price Rite supermarkets.
Jendayi Scott-miller, founder of Angel of Edgewood, said she wasn’t surprised concerns about COVID-19 are still weighing heavily on families in the communities she serves.
“People are living in fear right now,” she said.
Some people who previously advocated for the vaccines in Hartford are now against them, Scottmiller said, creating further controversy. Those detractors didn’t understand that vaccinated people can still contract COVID-19, so new cases fueled doubts among people who thought they
or their loved ones were completely protected, Scottmiller said.
She tries to educate people as much as she can while respecting their views and opinions.
“I think it’s just as important to push the facts as we’re pushing the vaccines to educate people so they’re not scared,” Scott-miller said.
The city’s low vaccination rate, however, is its own source of worry for some
who have gotten vaccinated themselves but have children too young to get the shot.
Quentesia Brooks’ son spent the last year in fully remote learning. The year took an emotional toll on all young people, so she’s glad to be sending Mayhze, 7, back to school, but concerned about whether other families will be taking the virus
as seriously.
“We really just got to keep our fingers crossed and hope everybody does the right things,” she said. “The protocols are crazy, but you’ve got to follow them.”
Brooks, whose nonprofit organization The Brooks Token helps Hartford residents who are displaced by fires and experiencing homelessness, also hopes the first FDA approval turns the tide.
“That’s the biggest thing. A lot of people had uncertainty and weren’t that enthused about it,” Brooks said of the fact that the COVID-19 vaccines had only been granted authorization for emergency use.
“What’s gonna be their excuse now not to keep their family safe?” she asked.