Rep. Lucas: Oklahomans need to be vaccinated
U.S. Rep. Frank Lucas, whose home county has one of the lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the state, urged Oklahomans on Monday to get their shots.
“Whether you’re young or old, healthy or infirm, rural or urban, being fully vaccinated helps stop the spread of COVID-19 and protects you and those in your community from the complications of COVID,” the Republican said in a Tulsa World column.
Lucas’ sprawling district includes mostly rural counties with relatively low vaccination rates. In Roger Mills County, Lucas’ home county in western Oklahoma, only 26% of the population is fully vaccinated and only 55% of the county residents 65 and older have been fully vaccinated.
In Oklahoma County, the state’s most populous county, 82% of residents 65 and older have been fully vaccinated, while 46% of the total population has been fully vaccinated.
Oklahoma, like the rest of the country, has seen a major surge in cases as the Delta variant has spread quickly, mostly among the unvaccinated. Hospitalizations have risen dramatically in Oklahoma in the last few weeks.
“Should hospitalizations continue, there will be a significant strain on both rural and urban hospitals — something our health care professionals lived through once during the height of the pandemic and shouldn’t have to live through again,” Lucas said in his column.
Lucas, the top Republican on the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, said the three COVID-19 vaccines being used in the United States are “safe, effective, and free. America’s three COVID vaccines were bolstered by American innovation, developed with the help of America’s brightest scientists, and distributed with the help and strength of America’s workforce.”
Vaccine hesitancy has been most prevalent in Republican states, and some GOP leaders have begun to urge people to get vaccinated. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, a Republican, told reporters last week that it was time to blame unvaccinated people for the surge in cases.
“It’s the unvaccinated folks that are letting us down,” she said.
Gov. Kevin Stitt told reporters Friday that he was vaccinated and was “leading by example.”
“I trust Oklahomans,” he said. “We’re going to continue to provide information and be transparent with all of our data, and I encourage Oklahomans to make that decision about their health care with their physicians and their doctors,” Stitt said.
Lucas, first elected in 1994, is the longest serving Oklahoman in the U.S. House.
“The most trusted voices we have in this fight are our local doctors, nurses, and health professionals,” Lucas said in his column.
“If you have concerns about possible side effects, talk to your doctor.
Our health professionals understand the complexities of making a personal decision such as getting the COVID-19 vaccine and we can trust them to be understanding, compassionate, and factual.”