So few people came for the COVID-19 vaccination in a North Carolina county that hospitals there now allow anyone aged 16 and over to get the vaccine, regardless of where they live. Try it, get a free donut, said the governor.
Alabama, which has the lowest vaccination rate in the country and a county where only 7% of residents are fully vaccinated, has launched a campaign to convince people that vaccines are safe. Doctors and pastors joined the effort.
At the national level, the Biden government launched a “We can do this” campaign this week to encourage resisters to get vaccinated against the virus that has claimed more than 550,000 lives in the United States.
The race to vaccinate as many people as possible is underway, but a significant number of Americans are reluctant to get vaccines, even in places where they are abundant. Twenty-five percent of Americans say they will probably or definitely not be vaccinated, according to a new survey by the Associated Press-NORC Public Affairs Research Center.
They are suspicious of possible side effects. They tend to be Republicans and are generally younger and less likely to become seriously ill or die if they catch COVID-19.
However, there has been a slight change since the first weeks of the biggest vaccination campaign ever, which started in mid-December. An AP-NORC survey conducted in late January showed that 67% of adult Americans were willing to have a vaccination or had already received at least one injection. That number has now risen to 75%.
This, experts say, brings the country closer to collective immunity, which occurs when a sufficient number of people have immunity, either through vaccination or past infection, to prevent the uncontrolled spread of a disease.
Anywhere from 75% to 85% of the total population – including children, who are currently not receiving vaccines – must be vaccinated to achieve collective immunity, said Ali Mokdad, professor of health metric sciences at the University’s School of Public Health of Washington.
Just over three months after taking the first doses, 100 million Americans, or about 30% of the population, received at least one dose.
Andrea Richmond, a 26-year-old autonomous coder from Atlanta, is among those whose reluctance is waning. A few weeks ago, Richmond was inclined to not receive the injection. The possible long-term effects worried her. She knew that an H1N1 vaccine used years ago in Europe increased the risk of narcolepsy.
Then, his sister was vaccinated without harmful effects. The opinions of Richmond’s friends have also changed.
“They went from ‘I’m not trusting this’ to ‘I’m all confused, let’s go!’”
Her mother, a cancer survivor with whom she lives in Richmond, is so anxious for her daughter to be vaccinated that she signed up online for an injection.
“I will probably end up accepting it,” said Richmond. “I think it’s my civic duty.”
But some remain firmly against it.
“I think I only caught the flu once,” said Lori Mansour, 67, who lives near Rockford, Illinois. “So, I think I’ll take a chance.”
In the latest poll, Republicans remained more likely than Democrats to say that they will probably or definitely not be vaccinated, 36% compared to 12%. But a little less Republicans today are reluctant. In January, 44% said they would avoid a vaccine.
The hesitation can be seen in rural Winston County, Alabama, which is 96% white and where more than 90% of voters supported then President Donald Trump last year. Only 6.9% of the approximately 24,000 county residents are fully vaccinated, the lowest level in Alabama.
Elsewhere in Alabama, health officials have tried to tackle problems that include reluctance in heavily black areas, where distrust of government medical initiatives is deep. They targeted some counties with a pro-vaccine message, 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 the radio to spread the word.
Dr. Karen Landers, assistant state health officer, 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 fully vaccinated, among the highest levels. Authorities are likely to make similar efforts in other parts of the state, she said.
Across the country, 24% of blacks and 22% of Hispanic Americans say they will probably or definitely not be vaccinated, up from 41% and 34% in January, respectively. Among white Americans, 26% now say they will not be vaccinated. In January, that number was 31%.
The Biden government campaign features advertisements on TV and on social media. Celebrities and community and religious figures are joining the effort.
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, a Republican, is trying to win over a third of Iowa adults who will not commit to receiving the vaccine, emphasizing that the injections will help get life back to normal.
In Cumberland County, North Carolina, less than 1 in 6 residents received at least one injection.
Amid fears that there would be an unused surplus of vaccines, Cape Fear Valley Health hospital systems opened vaccines last week for everyone aged 16 and over.
“Instead of not using the doses, we want to give more people a chance to get their vaccine,” said Chris Tart, vice president of health for Cape Fear Valley. “We hope this will encourage more people to roll up their sleeves.”
On Wednesday, Governor Roy Cooper, a Democrat, tweeted a video of him winning a free donut from the Krispy Kreme chain. Customers who show the vaccination card can win a free donut every day for the rest of the year.
“Do it today, guys!” Cooper encouraged viewers. Nearly 36% of North Carolina adults have been at least partially vaccinated, state data show.
Younger people are more likely to give up a dose. Of those under 45, 31% say they will probably or definitely give up a chance. Only 12% of people aged 60 and over say they will not be vaccinated.
Ronni Peck, 40, a mother of three in Los Angeles, is one of those who plans to avoid vaccination, at least for now. She is concerned that vaccines have not been studied for long-term health effects. She feels that some friends disapprove of her posture.
“But I stopped worrying about whether or not I felt ostracized and instead learned to spend more time worrying about whether I’m doing the right thing for me and my children,” said Peck.
Deborah Fuller, a professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine, said that if the herd’s immunity level cannot be achieved soon, a more realistic goal could be to vaccinate at least 50% of the population this summer, with a vaccination rate highest among the most vulnerable to reduce serious illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths.
“In this scenario, the virus would persist in the population, but it would cease to be a major health threat that burdens our health systems,” said Fuller.
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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 from March 26 to 29 using a sample taken from the AmeriSpeak Panel based on NORC probability, which was designed to be representative of the United States population. The sampling error margin for all respondents is plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.