More than 11,000 people in the region are partially vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine, and more than 23,000 have been fully vaccinated.
With a total population of 91,508 in McKean, Elk, Potter and Cameron counties, that means ¾ of the people have not been vaccinated — and many say they will not. At the same time, many have given up on mitigation measures like social distancing and mask wearing, leaving officials to wonder how to combat complacency and vaccine hesitancy.
While touring a vaccination clinic in Hershey last week, Alison Beam, acting health secretary, commented on the hundreds of unfilled appointments at a nearby mass vaccination clinic.
“The appointment availability does give us cause for concern because it’s indicative of hesitancy, which really is the challenge to come,” said Beam.
Nearly half of Pennsylvania’s nursing home workers have declined the vaccine, which Beam said is evidence of “how far we have to go and how much of a challenge overcoming this vaccine hesitancy will be in the near future.”
Health department data indicated that 53% of staff in skilled nursing facilities have opted to get the vaccine, even though they have been eligible from the beginning.
The Philadelphia Inquirer ran a story linking Republicans and vaccine hesitancy, naming several lawmakers who have been vocal about their plans to avoid the COVID vaccine.
State Rep. Marty Causer, R-Turtlepoint, said it isn’t a partisan issue, it’s a personal health decision.
“People have to decide for themselves,” Causer said.
He’s had the first dose of the vaccine, and is awaiting his second. “I had to think about that. You have to make an informed decision based on your own situation.”
He knows several people who are carefully weighing the decision, he added.
“The situation with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine caused even more hesitancy,” he added, referring to the temporary stoppage of use of the one-dose vaccine while a possible connection with blood clots was examined.
Locally, two people who decided against getting vaccinated shared their reasoning with The Era.
A Bradford mother, who declined to be named for privacy reasons, said, “I would say the unknown of the future effects is my biggest concern. Honestly, I got the opinion of a professional chemist, who said that while it is safe, it’s not unreasonable to have concerns about the potential long-term effects.”
The short timeframe of the vaccine’s development and testing was a factor as well, she said.
Another Bradford resident, Nate Bottorf, said he will not get the vaccine either.
“I’m not getting it simply because I’ve heard too many bad things and at my age the probability of death (from COVID-19) is almost nonexistent,” he said. “I’ve had it and so has my girlfriend, who spent 4 months working in a Covid clinic.
“I’m also not getting it as there is no liability should something happen,” he added. “That alone speaks volumes.”
While it is a personal choice to get the vaccine, health officials are reminding people that now is not the time to give up the mitigation measures that help prevent the spread of the virus.
Dr. William Mills, chief medical officer of Upper Allegheny Health System, talked about the danger of becoming complacent.
“In a hospital setting, complacency leads to patient harm and death. Unfortunately, we are seeing this in our region related to COVID too,” he said. “COVID has been with us for more than a year and people are increasingly treating this as it’s not a big deal.
“It’s still a very big deal and UAHS has 14 patients hospitalized currently with COVID and 4 of them are on ventilators,” Mills said.
Everyone wants the pandemic to end, he added.
“Letting down your guard now is risking the last year of restrictions,” Mills said. “We are getting closer, but we are not there yet.
“As people are deciding against vaccinations we are running the risk that we will never get to herd immunity and some type of restrictions may remain indefinitely,” he added.
Get the vaccine, he advised.
“Vaccinations will definitely help protect you if you get complacent and forget your mask or distancing. So if you haven’t been vaccinated, get one soon,” Mills said. “Over 1 billion shots have been given worldwide and all the vaccines have a very good safety record and are really working.”
The doctor acknowledged that these restrictions have been in place for a long time.
“Everyone is tired of this, but the pandemic is still with us. We all have to remain vigilant,” he reminded. “Some people drive when they are excessively tired and make it safely to their destination. Some don’t. Don’t risk your life because you just want to be done with COVID.”
