Everyone hears the real anti-vaxxers, the ones with misinformed and often outlandish ideas on life-saving medicine. They’re so loud, it’s hard not to.
Saad Hlail, 14, of Portland gets a COVID vaccination from Helen Peasley, R.N., of Northern Light, during a pop-up clinic on the sidelines of a basketball tournament at Kennedy Park in Portland in June. Holding clinics in places where people are comfortable and can easily have their questions answered are key to reaching those who are on the fence about vaccination. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer
But the hardcore opponents, who appear impossible to sway on the benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine to themselves and others, make up only part of unvaccinated America.
If we’re going to limit the damage from COVID, it’s the rest of that group that needs attention now – the tens of millions of Americans who are eligible for the shot and at least a little open to it, but for a variety of reasons haven’t gotten it yet.
It is a disparate crowd that doesn’t fit into any one box. In some cases, they haven’t had the benefit of exposure to the resources and credible information that make getting a vaccine such a no-brainer to many others. As a result, they still have a lot of basic questions they need answered.
Others are worried about missing work because of side effects, or can’t leave their children at home alone to get a shot. Some simply can’t get to a vaccine clinic because of lack of transportation, certainly a problem in rural Maine.
Still others are waiting for the vaccines, now available under emergency use, to receive full government approval.
The answer to the last one is easy. The Food and Drug Administration should waste no time in completing the approval process – the agency’s lack of urgency is astounding, particularly when the vaccines have proved themselves safe and effective beyond a shadow of a doubt.
Reaching the rest of the unvaccinated-but-persuadable crowd will be slow going. Their concerns must be addressed with respect, most often at an individual level by people they trust. You have to catch them when they are ready – when their concerns have been allayed, or when they actually have the time to sit for a shot (and perhaps rest for the next day or two).
That’s why we’ve championed clinics at places like firehouses and fairs, where people are comfortable and can get their questions answered by local folks they trust, away from the bluster and misinformation of the internet and cable news.
Employers can contribute by giving workers flexibility to get the vaccine and recover from any side effects. Thanks to a law new this year, most workers in Maine get paid leave, but not all.
There are ways to overcome the many barriers to vaccination, and we have to use all of them.
The city of Lowell, Massachusetts, recently held a vaccine clinic block party, with food, music and dancing. They provided child care for parents and other caregivers, and they had interpreters, advocates and health officials to answer questions. Ultimately, the event, where neighbors could mingle with each other in a relaxed setting, was more successful than the mobile clinics the city had previously held.
As the delta variant surges across the country, vaccination rates in all 50 states have increased too. It could be the rash of new cases that convinced previously unvaccinated Americans to finally get a shot. It could be that they had their questions answered, or that they finally had a free moment.
Or maybe they got the shot because their school or workplace required it, or because they want to go to a concert.
Whatever the case, all the recent vaccinations show that just because someone hasn’t gotten it yet doesn’t mean they won’t ever get it.
Given the right information and the right circumstances, a lot of unvaccinated Americans will do the right thing to protect themselves and others. Let’s give them the chance.
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