Vaccine-skeptical Trump nations challenge vaccination promotion

Given the high degree of hesitation between Republicans and rural Americans, the Union of Health Groups and Foundations turned to prominent GOP pollster and message writer Frankrunz. .. He found that lectures, shame, and even appealing to the abstract notion of doing the right thing did not change his mind. The resonance was to emphasize how vaccines can make people and their loved ones safer and how they can help bring life back to normal.

“Family is the strongest motivation for receiving a vaccine,” Luntz reported. “Quite a lot of Americans most want to be vaccinated for their families, as opposed to” your country, “” economy, “” your community, “or” your friends. ” Said. I like the word “vaccine” better than “jab”. )

Military veterans can get a glimpse of the challenge. The Department of Veterans Affairs has delivered shots as quickly as possible, but is struggling to connect with local veterinarians.

As of mid-February, the ministry had vaccinated about 29% of white veterans, but only 4.8% of local veterans. Low intakes can be partially explained by logistical issues regarding the transport and storage of the first two licensed vaccines. These vaccines need to be kept very cold, but the department is trying to change their attitude towards shots. VA plans to convene a focus group and partner with a veterans service organization to disseminate information.

“We are deliberately trying to send a message about it,” VA Secretary Denis McDonough recently told reporters.

Vaccine opinions do not directly apply to the two camps, “Yes in Hell” and “No in Hell.” There are many groups in the middle who are nervous or uncertain about vaccination, but they are not irreparably opposed. It is that person who believes that public health messengers can reach, and the Kaiser Family Foundation executives who oversee polls say they need to reach more people to successfully promote vaccination. Vice President Morian Brody said.

Kaiser’s Latest survey Last month, an encouraging shift from the “wait and see” group was detected. The number of people who reported being “enthusiastic” about getting vaccinated rose from 34% in December to 55%.

However, there was little movement between the hardline “no” groups. For example, the percentage of Republicans who said they would not fire under any circumstances or only when forced to work dropped slightly from 24% to 22%.

This represents the challenge of reaching herd immunity. In a professional project, it occurs when 70-85% of the population is vaccinated.

Rural clinics also had practical barriers. Shots from Pfizer and Moderna are more difficult to ship and store than most traditional vaccines and are not suitable for small rural communities. Johnson & Johnson’s latest shots are easy to handle and require only one dose at the beginning, which can benefit regions and places where you have to travel long distances to get your vaccination. The downside is that J & J shots can be perceived as less desirable than Pfizer and Moderna, which had a higher overall efficacy rate in clinical trials. However, health officials sought to emphasize that J & J provides excellent protection against hospitalization and death from Covid-19.

Regardless of the government or health sector outreach on vaccines, healthcare providers have personal relationships with patients as one of the best ways to mitigate people’s fears of vaccination. Said that he was aware of. However, for many uninsured and uninsured, this is not always easy.

Beth Ann Wilmore, Nursing Director of Mercy Community Healthcare, which operates a clinic south of Nashville, Tennessee and serves a variety of low-income patients, said: “I educated myself and my team, providers and nurses about what a vaccine is, why it’s given, and what it does,” Wilmore added. But she now uses that experience to calm a recently frightened patient. Young women who came in search of vaccines needed to work safely in their educational jobs.

In the scenic rivers of the Minnesota countryside, it’s all aggressive. Longtime CEO Holmes said staff have booked all eligible patients, stepped up efforts to build trust, and avoided the pitfalls of the uneven Internet in the state’s Iron Range. ..

Melody Weaver, chairman of the Idaho Rural Health Association and a family nurse practitioner, also had to calmly correct false information about the potential dangers of the vaccine.

“The hesitation of vaccination with the flu vaccine is seen year after year,” she said. “And with the virus-due to the hugeness of this pandemic, and the mixed messaging and politics … you end up with a matter of trust.”

Nonetheless, more people are vaccinated against the flu this year. She said it was a promising sign.

Darius Tahir contributed to the report