CLARKSDALE, Miss. (AP) – The first obstacle was getting on the bus. Seventy-four-year-old Linda Busby hesitated outside a community center where older people were fetching the coronavirus vaccine.
“I was scared, I’m not scared to say it,” she said Wednesday after receiving a recording of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at the encouragement of a staff member and her brother. “I thought I was not going to get it at first. Nobody likes to get shot. ”
Busby’s hesitation is just what the Biden administration and its allies in the states are fighting, one person at a time, while the White House is appealing to the elderly to be vaccinated. The vaccination rate for this group with the highest priority reaches a plateau, even if the stock has expanded.
About 76% of Americans age 65 and older, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have received at least one survey of COVID-19 vaccines since approval in December. But the rate of new vaccinations among the group most vulnerable to negative virus outcomes has dropped dramatically.
It is a growing source of concern, not only because of the possibility of preventable deaths and serious illnesses among the elderly in the coming months, but also about what it may indicate to the wider population of America.
“I want to make a direct appeal to our seniors and everyone who cares about them,” President Joe Biden said Tuesday, referring to “incredible progress” but declaring that it is still not enough.
‘It’s simple: seniors, it’s time for you to be vaccinated now. Get vaccinated now. ”
According to the government’s estimate, about 12.9 million American seniors have not yet received their first shot. Although they were the first age group to be prioritized for shots, more than 23% of 75-year-olds and older still need to be vaccinated.
Supply restrictions initially slowed the rate of senior vaccinations, but not for months in the high-priority age groups. Instead, officials say, the slowdown is caused by a mix of issues, of people struggling to find and reach vaccination sites to inoculate hesitation.
Sandy Markwood, chief executive of the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging, noted that all obstacles for seniors, whether technological, transportation or personal hesitation, must be taken into account, recognizing that vaccination rates for older adults are a is a bit flat. . ”
This is a potential harbinger of the challenges of coming up with other demographic groups. All adult Americans will be eligible for vaccination in the next two weeks, although the process of giving enough shots to start back to ‘normal’ will take months longer. Many states, although they open the doors to suitability, still prefer vaccination systems, or dedicated distribution channels, to keep the elderly who want the vaccine at the forefront.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s leading expert on infectious diseases, predicted that between 75% and 85% of the population might need to be vaccinated to achieve “herd immunity” and end the outbreak in the US.
This is one of the reasons why the White House and the states have moved to sharpen aid programs for the elderly and public education campaigns.
Markwood attributed the administration’s $ 1.9 billion rescue plan to provide the necessary funding “to go there and do that more intensive, sometimes one-on-one outreach” with seniors, saying, “It is the last kilometer, the last group that needs extra support, it’s going to reach that extra and take time. ”
Even more help is on the way.
Starting next week, the administration is launching a $ 100 million effort to fund community organizations that provide “high-intensity” support to seniors and people with disabilities at risk, through the Department of Health and Human Services. This includes assistance with booking appointments, travel to vaccination sites and other support through the vaccination process.
Similar programs are already underway at the state level.
In Clarksdale, Mississippi, the state on Wednesday offered its very first mobile vaccinations for older adults. This is where a Busby bus picked up outside a daycare and community center next to a low-income housing complex for the elderly.
While Busby was deterred, a staff member encouraged her to join the group and wait to board. She said an important motivating factor for her to get the chance was the support of her brother, who called her to encourage her to be vaccinated.
“I’ll call him as soon as I get home and let him know I did,” she said as she boarded the bus again to return to the community center.
Older people are actually less hesitant than many. According to an AP-NORC poll at the end of March, 11% of Americans aged 65 or older say they are likely or definitely not to be vaccinated. It can be compared to 25% of all adults.
The White House has repeatedly pointed to family members and community leaders as the best validators to overcome hesitation. It is also creating more vaccination centers closer to homes, recognizing that access to demographic groups extends. The White House announced Wednesday that all more than 1,400 federally qualified community health centers will be able to administer vaccines. It is also aimed at expanding mobile vaccine clinics.
Kathleen Cameron, senior director of the Center for Healthy Aging of the National Council on Aging, said an excessive number of older people have not been vaccinated. And about 6% of seniors are homebound.
“It’s the hardest to reach people, and these are the ones we have to work hardest to achieve, whether it’s bringing them to vaccination centers or bringing the vaccines to them,” she said.
Aurelia Jones-Taylor, CEO of Aaron E. Henry Community Health Services Center, Inc. in Clarksdale, said family members are one of the most important aids – but sometimes obstacles – in getting older adults vaccinated. Some encourage their family members, help them drive to clinics and make sure they get their shots.
But in many cases, younger family members are misinformed about the vaccine and discourage older family members from getting it.. Apart from that, it can be more difficult to reach older adults because they are not smart on social media and live alone.
“They’re stuck in the house, and they’re scared,” Jones-Taylor said. “We must overcome the fear.”
According to the CDC, seniors, depending on their age, are between 1,300 and 8,700 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than 5-17-year-olds, and they make up more than 80% of the 559,000 U.S. deaths due to viruses.
One important help in Mississippi – especially among older adults – is the encouragement of pastors and church communities, Jones-Taylor said.
“It’s important,” she said. “That’s who they’re listening to.”
Julia Ford (71) spends most days in Rev. SLA Jones Activity Center by. She said her faith was an important motivating factor for her vaccination.
I was not sure what I would do: ‘Will I get it or not? “I talked to the Lord to understand about it,” said Ford, whose brother died of the virus. “I thought of the verse, ‘Everything that was made was made by him.’ “Nothing was made that was not made by him. He made the virus and made the antidote. ”
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Miller reports from Washington.