Communities are working to get everyone vaccinated
Acknowledgement of the speed and success of the nation’s vaccination program surrounds us.
President Joe Biden used the beginning of his speech to Congress a week ago to celebrate the rate at which shots are getting into arms. In Pennsylvania, the Department of Health reports 8.6 million vaccinations have been administered — first doses to 50.5% of the population with a ranking of 10th in the nation.
The same reports note however that more than 700 people in the U.S. are dying of COVID every day. Pennsylvania reported 3,133 new cases Tuesday, 151 patients hospitalized with 484 in the intensive care unit. And, Biden noted in his speech that the average number of daily shots declined 20 percent in the past two weeks.
If vaccinations had continued on their earlier pace, about 10 million additional Americans would have received their first shot this month, according to a New York Times report. The fact that they haven’t could lead to more illness and death than needed to happen. Among the reasons for the decline is a continuing vaccine hesitancy. The hesitancy has been reported to be higher in communities of color and low income, but it exists across all demographics and occupations. Police departments and nursing home workers are among those who are in highest-risk environments, and both groups have large numbers who decline vaccination.
A poll last month by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 20 percent of U.S. adults said that either they would not get vaccinated or would do so only if required, the New York Times David Leonhardt reported. Another 17 percent said they wanted to wait until the vaccine had been available longer and they could see how it affected others. That reluctance could ultimately prevent the country from reaching herd immunity, the benchmark needed to declare victory over this pandemic.
Reluctance also affects the need for masking. The state Health Department announced on Tuesday that an order requiring people to wear masks while away from home will be lifted once 70% of Pennsylvanians aged 18 and older are fully vaccinated.
Locally, communities are doing what they can to make vaccines accessible and easy for people. Walk-up clinics with no appointment necessary opened in Norristown and Lansdale last week and on Tuesday Montgomery County announced that all six county-run clinics will accept walk-ins without appointment in an effort to reduce barriers. The walk-in sites makes shots accessible for the working poor, who may find it difficult to book and keep an appointment without transportation, predictable work schedules and child care. In addition to walkup clinics, counties are partnering with ride-shares or bus companies to provide transportation, including free bus rides by BARTA to the Berks Cares Vaccine Center.
Schools are now hosting clinics for their students who are 16 years or older and eligible to receive the vaccine. Mobile units are going out to homes or other places to make vaccine readily available. Efforts are in place to help with translation for non English speaking residents, and churches and other public institutions have been opening their doors for clinics to foster a sense of safety and familiarity for those who are uncertain.
Some people blame science and health leaders for what are perceived as mixed messages: If the vaccine is so great, why are we still supposed to wear masks? Others say they still feel like guinea pigs taking a vaccine that was developed in a record amount of time and with so-called unprecedented success rates.
But data shows that vaccines work. The spread has slowed dramatically and people who are fully vaccinated are not getting sick. That does not mean virus spread has stopped, thus the rules are still in place to protect the unvaccinated. We have not yet achieved herd immunity, and abandoning the precautions we have embraced for the past 13 months would be foolish.
We applaud those in our communities who are making sacrifices as volunteers or as leaders in the fight to beat this pandemic. And, we urge those who continue to shun vaccination to get past the objections and do this for the sake of yourself and your fellow citizens.
When has success at getting something done right been a bad thing? Show a little faith in the many who are working so hard to keep you and your loved ones safe. Get the shot.