Here’s what made vaccine-hesitant Dallasites finally get their shot

Some say the shots came too quickly. Others waited for the crowds in line to subside. They were concerned about possible side effects, and some suspected government vaccination programs.

All over the Dallas area, people recently getting COVID-19 vaccinations explained their hesitation – and what ultimately motivated them to roll up their sleeves.

While waiting for her first shot of the Moderna vaccine at a Richardson CVS, Jennifer Mrusek said she was initially concerned about how quickly the vaccines were being developed, tested, and approved.

But she said her sister, a psychiatrist, finally convinced her it was time.

“She said that her education and experience was the best for me,” said Mrusek, 25.

The death of her sister’s friend from COVID-19 last month contributed to Mrusek’s decision, she said. This friend was only 34 and had no underlying medical conditions – but was not vaccinated.

A nurse with a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine walked in Lot 13 in Fair Park on August 7, 2021 to a vehicle in which a person was waiting for the vaccination. A nurse with a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine walked in Lot 13 in Fair Park on August 7, 2021 to a vehicle in which a person was waiting for the vaccination. (Lola Gomez / photographer)

Mrusek’s message to people who might share their early insecurity: “Come on, let’s go. It is better and safer to get it than not to do it. “

Other vaccine stragglers have also given in after being courted by die-hard friends and relatives. However, another motivator for some is the surge in the more contagious Delta variant of the virus.

The mutation has brought back memories of the darkest days of the pandemic, and the risks of hospitalization and death are largely limited to those who have not been vaccinated.

In addition, more and more people are facing vaccination requirements in the workplace, an increasingly popular way of getting more people vaccinated.

Randy Weaver, 54, said his initial hesitation was centered on the botched distribution of the polio vaccine during an epidemic in the 1950s.

A nurse was preparing to give a patient a COVID-19 vaccine on August 7, 2021 in Lot 13 in Fair Park. A nurse was preparing to give a patient a COVID-19 vaccine on August 7, 2021 in Lot 13 in Fair Park. (Lola Gomez / photographer)

In a tragedy known as the Cutter Incident, a laboratory mistakenly distributed vaccines that contained active, non-inactive poliovirus – causing cases of illness and paralysis. The US-approved coronavirus vaccines – Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson – don’t contain the live virus that causes COVID-19.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention described the Cutter incident as “a pivotal moment in the history of vaccine manufacturing and government oversight of vaccines,” saying the incident resulted in better vaccine safety.

While waiting for his second dose at a Walgreens near Fair Park, Weaver said he ultimately wanted to protect himself and his loved ones.

“If protecting someone and myself was going to make a difference, I thought I would,” he said.

He also persuaded his friend Keisha Gardner to come with him. Their delay in vaccination was less a question of philosophy than of practicality.

Gardner, 46, said the lines to get vaccinated used to be too long. But when she told Weaver that she still hadn’t had an injection, he said to her, “Come on, you have it today.”

According to CDC data, 59.4% of people aged 12 and over – more than 168 million – nationwide are fully vaccinated. In Texas, 54.48% of the population, more than 13 million, is fully vaccinated. But tens of millions of eligible Americans, including several million Texans, have still not received any shots.

To combat the recent surge in the coronavirus, health professionals have focused on those who find themselves between the die-hard anti-Vaxxers who succumbed to misinformation and the people who accepted the scientific evidence and got their shots as soon as possible.

Health experts hope that some light will shine through for people in this gray area.

After several months of steadily declining vaccination rates – to a low of 311,000 administered doses in the last week of June and first week of July – the rate appears to be rising, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. Almost 485,000 doses were given last week.

Dr. Lamar T. Quinn, the pharmacy manager at Walgreens where Gardner and Weaver got their vaccines, said conversations about hesitation tend to focus on concerns about safety and side effects.

But in his years at the pharmacy, Quinn said, he has built a lot of trust in South Dallas, which he called the “key driver” in pulling people over the hesitation hump.

“First I will tell them that I am fully vaccinated. I respect their freedom and hear their concerns, ”he said. “It’s important to listen first and then offer solutions.”

Many people in the high-risk groups, including the elderly and the immunocompromised, quickly realized that the benefits of vaccination outweighed any possible risks. But in groups believed to be less at risk, more people expressed doubts.

At another Walgreens in Oak Cliff, Patricia Cerda took her son Adrian, 13, to be vaccinated before returning to school.

She said she hesitated because she did not understand why her son was eligible but her 8-year-old daughter was not. While vaccine studies are ongoing in children under the age of 12, the Food and Drug Administration has not yet approved the use of the vaccine in this age group. But that could happen later this year.

Adrian said he wanted to get the vaccine to protect his parents.

“I just wanted to get it so my parents wouldn’t get it if I had COVID,” he said.

[ad_1]