BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) – Brass bands play on a 24-hour drive-thru coronavirus vaccine event. Doses delivered to commercial fishermen minutes from the docks. Pop-up immunization clinics in a Buddhist temple, homeless shelters, truck stops, and casinos, with nighttime or weekend shooting.
And now door-to-door coverage is gaining ground in neighborhoods where few people have been vaccinated.
Louisiana makes a full press to get guns, with an aggressive – and sometimes creative – reach to make it as easy as possible to get vaccinated. The effort is because the vaccine supply is increasing, but the demand is not.
The state has enlisted health workers, colleges, community groups, and church pastors to help overwhelm the reluctant and stage vaccination events. The Democratic John Bel Edwards government has given access to vaccines to anyone 16 or olderThe health department has launched a call center to answer vaccine questions and make appointments for those with no Internet access or limited technical skills.
Civil society organizations and faith-based groups working with the state have started using voting tactics, knocking on doors, and making phone calls to pitch the vaccine.
But even with widespread ease of access, Louisiana officials are grappling with a problem almost as annoying as COVID-19 itself: how to get down to business for those who doubt the shot.
‘To be honest, I don’t know what people are waiting for. I just don’t think it makes sense, but I will continue to rely on them, ”said Edwards.
Health officials anticipate a difficult time reaching the threshold scientists say is necessary to halt the uncontrolled spread of COVID-19, a measure of 70% or more of the population having immunity from vaccination or previous infection. The problem has become particularly urgent as more virulent and contagious strains of viruses reach the United States.
State surveys indicate that 40% or more of Louisiana residents are reluctant to get the vaccine or are completely unwilling to do so. And while Louisiana administers doses higher than some other southern states, it stays below the bottom six when vaccinating adults 18 and older, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Other states are also trying new approaches, either because they have seen noticeable declines in vaccine interest or because they are concerned about fair access.
Alaska’s health department is in the process of setting up vaccine clinics at airports. The Ohio Health Service asked vaccine providers to develop locations near bus stops and consider offering mobile immunization services. In Connecticut, the health department has made an effort to call residents directly to schedule appointments. Mississippi is partnering with local organizations to bring vaccinations directly to home-bound seniors. The Alabama Health Agency looked into vaccine reluctance to determine how to craft messages to appeal to the reluctant.
Dr. Catherine O’Neal, chief medical officer of Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Louisiana’s capital, Baton Rouge, said she’s hearing from people who believe misinformation about vaccines from social media, as well as those who simply don’t feel of urgency to get a chance. Others are concerned about side effects.
‘We have enough vaccine. … If you want an appointment, you can have it in a week, ”said O’Neal. But for many, “there is no driving force when they will get it.”
Nearly 31% of the state population has received at least one dose of a vaccine that may require two doses, according to state data. More than 22% is completely immunized.
Shane Pizani, a former Marine living in a New Orleans suburb, contracted COVID-19 shortly after Thanksgiving, with symptoms persistent for more than a month. Still, he was nervous about the vaccine.
To alleviate his concerns, he researched and discussed it with his doctor, seeking information that he felt was more comfortable. When he got his first shot in mid-February, he had a panic attack.
Still, he got the second dose and then went to work to convince his mother – who echoed the conspiracy theories against the vaccine she’d seen on social media.
‘I just kept going, kept going, kept going. I said to her, ‘We’re not going to see the kids anymore because I can’t live with myself if I give you COVID and something happened to you,’ ”said Pizani. “So she finally went to her appointment.”
Kerri Tobin, an education professor at Louisiana State University, was initially concerned that the vaccine was coming together too soon to be safe. Afterward, she watched as more healthcare friends and others she trusted posted on social media about receiving their doses.
‘I see someone else doing it and they are okay. And it keeps happening, ”she said.
Tobin received her second dose of Pfizer vaccine in late March.
Health officials believe this kind of word of mouth among friends and family will help boost vaccinations.
Surveys show that those who are reluctant or don’t want the vaccine to transcend racial groups and regions. A recent LSU survey showed greater disinterest among Republicans than Democrats. State officials are particularly concerned about southwestern Louisiana, where people are struggling to recover from successive hurricanes and seem less focused on the pandemic.
In any case, the Louisiana health department and state officials are trying to find a convincing approach. For example, data shows that black people have been vaccinated at lower rates, so the state contacted African American pastors and organizes immunization events in their churches. The state’s historically black college system is doing its own targeted outreach by enlisting alumni and faith-based and social organizations to encourage people to get vaccinated.
Some parishes have started delivering vaccines to seniors who are disabled at home and have signed deals with carpool services to offer free transportation to vaccination events.
Such a vaccination range could be further complicated by this week’s interruption of the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine following reports of rare blood clots in six women who have received it. Experts say it’s too early to say if that will increase reticence in Louisiana and elsewhere.
Mike Bayham, secretary of the Louisiana Republican Party, had a tough battle with COVID-19 in March 2020. He was bedridden for a week and had symptoms for weeks longer.
He has now received his first shot – and he is encouraging fellow Republicans to do the same. Bayham tells friends and colleagues that the vaccine is one of the greatest achievements of Donald Trump’s presidency, and he shares details of what it feels like to have COVID-19.
‘You don’t want this virus. Whatever the vaccine can do to you, the virus is much worse, ”said Bayham.