As COVID-19 cases increase rapidly in states with low vaccination rates, companies are stepping up efforts to encourage residents hesitant about vaccination – including their own customers – to roll up their sleeves.
It’s a logical effort, health experts said, because some people who are leery of vaccines are more likely to trust information from a community source they have a relationship with than information from, say, a government official or a qualified medical practitioner.
The Biden administration’s “Shots at the Shop” vaccine initiative, designed to encourage Americans to get vaccinated in nearly 1,000 salons and barber shops – intimately familiar spaces to many – has helped to increase rates of infection. vaccination in African American communities across the United States
Katrina Randolph, owner of Tre Shadez Hair Studio in Capitol Heights, Md., Has turned her salon into a makeshift information center and vaccination clinic where clients can get their shots – after getting their hair done. Randolph, who is also a community health worker, said she has known many of her clients for over 20 years. About 43% of Prince George County residents are vaccinated, which is lower than the state average and the national average.
“While they are sitting in my chair, I try to have this conversation as long as they are sitting there to try to help them make a decision before they come out the door,” he said. she told CBSN.
Meet people where they live, work, play
In Georgia, where COVID-19-related hospitalizations are increasing as the more ferociously transmissible Delta variant increases over the past weekend, the Atlanta Motor Speedway has partnered with health officials from the State to promote vaccination at a concert on the track – the first since the start of the pandemic before a NASCAR race.
Vaccines were made available to local fans who could choose to participate in the “I Said Yes! campaign, allowing residents to get vaccinated for their own reasons.
“‘I Said Yes’ shows that everyone has their own reason to say yes to the vaccine; to see their families, to get back to work, to resume running, and more,” said Georgia’s health ministry in a press release. declaration.
The event was aimed at NASCAR fans, who constitute “quite a large audience,” Georgia Department of Health spokesperson Nancy Nydam told CBS MoneyWatch. “We are really trying to reach unvaccinated people where they live, where they play, where they work.”
Less than 38% of all Georgia residents were fully immunized as of July 15, according to the latest state data. Nydam said some people who have not yet been immune to COVID-19 are not necessarily opposed to the vaccine, but say getting bitten can be embarrassing.
“We said, ‘OK, we’ll get the vaccine to you where you are and that might mean taking it to a particular business or community or area. It’s not just the accessibility part, but people also tend to do what they see others are doing, â€Nydam said.
“A stretch for many employers”
The Delta Variant hasn’t stopped visitors from flocking to Branson, Missouri, a tourist hub and now one of the places hardest hit by the state’s Delta Variant outbreak.
“Low vaccination rates in these counties, coupled with high case rates and lax mitigation policies that do not protect those who are not vaccinated against the disease, will certainly and sadly lead to more unnecessary suffering, hospitalizations and potential deaths, â€Rochelle Walensky, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said southwestern Missouri at a briefing last week. “We really encourage people who are not yet vaccinated to get vaccinated and wear a mask until you do.”
Low vaccination rates and the high number of Covid-19 cases are the norm across Missouri, which relies heavily on tourism, especially during the summer months. Just under 40% of all Missourians are fully vaccinated, with vaccination rates as low as 12% in some counties in Show Me State.
To that end, local businesses are urging residents to get vaccinated so they can continue to entertain visitors without reverting to the types of restrictions that were in place at the height of the pandemic.
Through its ‘Covid Stops Here’ initiative, the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry celebrates companies that achieve an immunization rate of 70% or more among their employees by awarding them bronze, silver and gold designations. ‘gold. Room signs, sorted by percentage rate, inform patrons and patrons that an establishment is a safe place to do business.
The new program, announced Thursday, has already received a handful of applications, according to the Missouri Chamber of Commerce.
“You need a lot of people to get injections to get to 70%,†said Dan Mehan, CEO of the chamber. “Some employers are already there, but it’s going to be a stretch for a lot of employers.”
At this late stage of the pandemic, COVID-19 vaccines are widely available to the entire adult population in the United States, which means anyone who wants to be vaccinated can do so.
“You’re not going to not have a shot because it’s not available,†Mehan said. “The state does a good job of making it available, it’s just about getting people to cross the line and get it.”
The only barrier that remains is to convince those resistant to the vaccine to get bitten.
“This is a unique opportunity to highlight companies that are at the forefront and give them something to place in their workplace, celebrating that they are leading the charge on immunization.” said Jacob Luecke, director of chamber communications. “They can also put something in their driveway to let the public know that when you walk into that workplace it is a safe place where staff are vaccinated.”
