Many are still hesitant to vaccinate, but resistance has eased – NBC New York

Few people were vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine in a county in North Carolina, so hospitals in North Carolina can now be vaccinated by anyone over the age of 16 regardless of where they live. The governor told me to take a shot and get a free donut.

Alabama, the county with the lowest vaccination coverage in the country and only 7% of the population, has launched a campaign to convince people that vaccination is safe. Doctors and ministers participated in this effort.

At the national level, the Biden administration launched a “We Can Do This” campaign this week calling for vaccination against the virus, which killed more than 550,000 people in the United States.

Races continue to vaccinate as many people as possible, but quite a few Americans are hesitant to get shots so far, even in places where they are abundant. Associated Press-According to a new poll from the National Poll Center, 25% of Americans say they will probably or will not be vaccinated.

They are worried about possible side effects. They tend to be Republicans, and when infected with COVID-19, they are usually younger and less likely to become severely ill or die.

However, there have been minor changes since the first few weeks of the country’s largest vaccination campaign, which began in mid-December. An AP-NORC poll conducted in late January showed that 67% of adult Americans were willing or had at least one vaccination. Currently, that number has risen to 75%.

Experts say it brings the country closer to herd immunity. This occurs when a sufficient number of people from either vaccination or past infections are immune and prevent the spread of uncontrolled illness.

Ali Mokudad, a professor of health index science at the University of Washington’s School of Public Health, is vaccinated everywhere in 75% to 85% of the total population, including children who are not currently fired, to reach herd immunity. He said it was necessary.

Just over three months after the first dose, 100 million Americans, or about 30% of the population, received at least one dose.

Andrea Richmond, a 26-year-old freelance web coder living in Atlanta, is one of those reluctant. A few weeks ago, Richmond was inclined not to be shot. Possible long-term consequences worried her. She knew that the H1N1 vaccine used several years ago in Europe increased the risk of narcolepsy.

Then her sister was vaccinated without any adverse effects. The opinions of Richmond’s friends also changed.

“They changed from’I don’t trust this’to’I’m all disappointed, let’s go!'”

Her mother, a cancer survivor living with Richmond, enrolled in the jab online because her daughter was so eager to get vaccinated.

“I’ll probably take it. I think it’s my citizen’s duty,” Richmond said.

However, some continue to be categorically opposed.

“I think I’ve had the flu only once,” said Lori Mansour, 67, who lives near Rockford, Illinois. “So I think I’ll seize the opportunity.”

In the latest poll, Republicans were more likely than Democrats to be vaccinated or definitely not vaccinated, 36% compared to 12%. But today, a few Republicans are reluctant. Back in January, 44% said they would avoid the vaccine.

Hesitation is found in the rural Winston County of Alabama. Winston County is 96% white, and last year more than 90% of voters supported then-President Donald Trump. Only 6.9% of the county’s approximately 24,000 inhabitants are fully vaccinated, the lowest level in Alabama.

Elsewhere in Alabama, health officials have sought to counter issues, including resistance in very black areas of growing distrust of government health initiatives. They targeted several counties with pre-vaccination messages, especially in old plantation areas, where the majority of the population is black and many are poor.

The campaign involved doctors and ministers to disseminate information using virtual conferences and radio.

Dr. Karen Landers, assistant state health officer, said the effort had positive consequences. For example, in Perry County, where 68% of the population of about 9,300 is black, more than 16% of the population is fully vaccinated at the highest levels. Authorities are likely to make similar efforts in other parts of the state, she said.

Nationally, 24% of black Americans and 22% of Hispanic Americans say they will probably or definitely not be vaccinated, down from 41% and 34% in January, respectively. Among white Americans, 26% now say they will not be vaccinated. That number in January was 31%.

The Biden administration’s campaign features television and social media advertising. Celebrities, communities and religions are participating in this effort.

Republican Governor of Iowa Kim Reynolds is trying to win one-third of adult Iowa who do not promise vaccination by emphasizing that injections can help return to normal life.

In Cumberland County, North Carolina, less than one in six residents have taken at least one shot.

Concerned that there might be a surplus of unused vaccines, the Capefear Valley Health Hospital system began injecting all people over the age of 16 last week.

Crystalt, vice president of Cape Fear Valley Health, said: “I hope this will allow more people to roll up their sleeves.”

On Wednesday, Democratic Governor Roy Cooper tweeted his video of getting a free donut from the Krispy Kreme chain. Customers presented with a vaccine card will receive free donuts daily for the rest of the year.

“Do it today!” Cooper encouraged the viewer. State data show that nearly 36% of North Carolina adults are at least partially vaccinated.

Young people are more likely to forget a shot. 31% of people under the age of 45 say they will probably or will definitely stop shooting. Only 12% of people over the age of 60 say they will not be vaccinated.

Ronni Peck, the mother of three 40-year-olds from Los Angeles, is one of those planning to avoid vaccination, at least for now. She is concerned that the vaccine has not been studied for its long-term health effects. She feels that some friends are against her stance.

“But I stopped worrying about whether I felt exiled and instead more concerned about doing the right thing for myself and my children. I learned to spend time, “said Peck.

Deborah Fuller, a professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine, said that if herd immunity levels cannot be reached quickly, a more realistic goal is to vaccinate at least 50% of the population by this summer, with severe vaccination rates. Most vulnerable to reducing illness, hospitalization and mortality.

“In this scenario, the virus survives within the population, but it is no longer a major health threat to our healthcare system,” Fuller said.

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Selsky reported from Salem, Oregon. Fingerhat reported from Washington. Weber reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press writers Brian Anderson of Raleigh, North Carolina and J. Reeves of Birmingham, Alabama also contributed to the story.

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AP-NORC poll of 1,166 adults conducted March 26-29 using samples extracted from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak panel designed to represent the U.S. population it was done. All respondents have a sampling error margin of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.