Irrational fears vs. gift cards in the race to vaccinate Fresno County from COVID
Life feels a bit more normal in Fresno County these days, now that the region is in the orange tier of the state’s pandemic plan.
People can eat indoors and go to gyms. Many schoolkids are finishing out this strange year back on campus, at least part of the time. Plans are being made for outdoor, in person high school graduations.
But now there is news that disrupts the upward path to normalcy: When it comes to getting fully vaccinated, just 27% of county residents have met that mark. Less than 37% have gotten at least one shot.
That means that most residents have yet to get both shots in either the Pfizer or Moderna regimens, or haven’t started the vaccination process at all.
Fresno County falls short of statewide averages, which are nearly 30% fully vaccinated and 45.2% with at least one shot.
The goal of Fresno County’s public health leaders: that 60% of residents be fully vaccinated by the end of summer. At that, the county will achieve a measure of herd immunity, in which the COVID virus cannot keep easily infecting the population. In turn, locals could return to normal activities.
To get there requires two things: First, each adult must get vaccinated, if not for themselves, then for the good of those around them.
Second, public health officials are having to ramp up their incentives to entice people to get the shots. Fortunately, they are doing just that.
Vaccine hesitancy
Joe Prado, county community health division manager, says the reasons people give for not getting COVID shots remain similar to those of a year ago when the pandemic began. Example: Are the shots safe, given how quickly the vaccines were developed? Answer: Yes.
The temporary halt to administering the Johnson and Johnson single-shot vaccine did not help the public’s confidence, he said. But, federal officials have cleared the J and J shot, and it is now back in use. Then there are wacky ideas that take hold on social media, such as receiving the vaccine will make one infertile (not true).
Some people worry about the long-term health impacts of getting the vaccine, ignoring the short-term realities of becoming infected with COVID — namely, it can be fatal. As of Tuesday, 579,225 Americans had died from COVID-19; in California, 60,765 did not survive an infection.
Gift cards for shots
Prado went to Coalinga on Wednesday to meet with community leaders and seek their help for vaccine clinics. The city on the west side of the county has a lower vaccination rate, and Prado said residents distrust officials who come from outside of Coalinga. To deal with that, he is calling on officials there to lead the vaccination charge. It will be harder for a resident to say no to the Coalinga fire chief at a clinic, Prado reasons.
Then there are the gift cards.
Prado said the county is buying gift cards to hand out at certain clinics when a person gets vaccinated. A $20 grocery gift card that a low-income family can use to buy milk and eggs is a small but meaningful help. Federal and state monies are being used; Prado did not yet know the total amount for the cards being purchased.
Such an incentive aside, there are two key reasons people must get vaccinated as soon as possible:
The sooner that happens, the quicker Fresno County works toward herd immunity. And once that is reached, life can return a lot more to what it was like before COVID became reality.
Second, it is the compassionate thing to do. Fresno County residents take a lot of pride in being there for their neighbors when a need occurs. Online fund-raising drives for someone who is ill or in other distress routinely raise more than enough money. Think of getting the vaccine as doing it for a neighbor.
If you have gotten one of the shots, by all means take the second. If you have yet to get vaccinated, today is the right time. There is no shortage of shots or slots. Go online or make the call to get an appointment, and get it done.