Vaccine protests in downtown Springfield, local hospital leaders worried about recent trends

Springfield, Missouri (KY3)-Protests against the COVID-19 vaccine took place in downtown Springfield on Friday amid rising cases and growing concerns about hospitalization in southwestern Missouri.

Green County has hit the most critical care patients ever. As of Friday, 168 people fighting COVID-19 have been hospitalized. And 44% of people in Green County hospitals are at stake.

Meanwhile, the number of cases per day has almost tripled since the beginning of June.

CoxHealth tells KY3 that during the pandemic, as far as they know, there are only two fully vaccinated patients with COVID pneumonia. Steve Edwards, CEO and President of Cox Health, said these patients were severely immunocompromised.

“I think the vaccination rates in our area are embarrassingly low,” said Dr. David Barb, vice president of primary care at Mercy Springfield.

Local hospital leaders said they wanted the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic to continue, as vaccination rates across Ozark lag behind the rest of the country.

“Unfortunately, we’re back where we were literally right in the worst of the COVID epidemic or pandemic in early 2020,” Dr. Barb said.

Immunization rates remain relatively stagnant and only increase slowly. Most of this is due to hesitation and distrust of the vaccine, as is the case with many of Springfield’s Friday protesters.

“I was vaccinated against pneumococcus, flu, and shingles, which hurts,” said protester Debra Buckner. “I don’t want shots that they haven’t studied enough to give me that. What the last years of my life would miser me because they didn’t study enough I don’t want to contact you. “

Steve Edwards, President and CEO of Cox Health, said distrust of Ozark as a whole could lead to one thing.

“Perhaps what all hesitant people have in common is general distrust of government and distrust of institutions, and I understand that,” Edwards said. “I’m a pretty conservative person. If someone says the government is here to help us, don’t I trust it right? But I’m specific to medicine and science I have trust. “

Friday protesters admitted that they had this problem. Many people are set to skip shots in favor of the possibility of being infected by a virus.

“I wasn’t afraid of it,” Buckner said. “I know there are people who have influenced it. I’m 66 years old and I don’t wear a mask. I go out in public as much as I can. I haven’t contacted COVID. I test I received it. “

Hospital leaders said they expected a continuous surge in cases if these shots did not change. They describe Springfield as the “earthquake” of the more contagious delta variant.

“It really hit the Southwest Missouri region,” said Dr. Barb. “As I said, the incident in Springfield is much higher than the surrounding local counties. It will almost certainly spread to those local counties.”

Mercy and Cox officials said almost all hospitalizations were unvaccinated patients.

“Now we have weapons that are almost 100% effective. Now we can put ourselves at risk, knowing that staff have rushed to help and people have chosen not to vaccinate. There is sex, and now they are staffing, in a way that does harm, “Edwards said.

He said his staff is still dedicated to helping all their COVID patients. He and other hospital leaders said vaccines are still the best tool.

“Vaccines prevent serious illness,” Edwards said. “Not perfect, but incredibly effective. Not very effective against delta variants, but still incredibly effective, 95% and 99% for severe illness. It’s approaching. “

Edwards and others understand that many have decided on vaccines, but said he has the hope of changing the minds of those who are still on the fence.

“Shame doesn’t work,” he said. “I think we need to be completely honest and tell people what we don’t want to hear, because we can really help them. And people say that we are already vaccination of people. I don’t think there will be. I see it like an old metaphor for a little boy throwing starfish into the ocean, and someone says, “You probably can’t bring them all back.” .. And his message was, “Well, I helped it.” And we know that not everyone we have been vaccinated with is considered to be hospitalized in our COVIDICU. “

The Springfield-Greene County Health Department refused to tell KY3 about Friday’s protests and vaccinations against the story.

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