CHARLOTTE OBSERVER: Vaccine hesitancy hinders North Carolina’s targets

President Joe Biden hoped to have 70% of US adults at least partially vaccinated by July 4. One week before that date the White House admitted the country was unlikely to meet this goal.  

But North Carolina is trailing even further behind. Only 55% of North Carolinians 18 and older had received their first shot by last week. At its current pace the state will not reach Biden’s vaccine target until November, the News & Observer reported earlier this month. But with the Delta variant on the rise — now accounting for 20% of new coronavirus cases in the US — it needs to happen sooner.

Despite an early surge in vaccine demand, progress has declined precipitously, with weekly vaccinations in North Carolina falling by nearly 83% between the weeks of April 5 and June 14. Why has it proven so difficult to get people vaccinated?

The answer is complicated. While it’s certainly an issue of hesitancy — and even full-blown resistance — it’s also an issue of access. And it’s an even bigger problem in the state’s more rural counties, where numbers are less promising than in urban areas. In counties that are home to a significant number of blue-collar workers, many can’t get off work to get vaccinated. Others worry that they’ll lose a day’s pay if they have a reaction to the vaccine. 

Reaching those who remain unvaccinated will be difficult — but it’s also becoming increasingly important. The Delta variant is spreading quickly, with the proportion of infections being caused by the variant doubling every two weeks. Not only is the variant more easily transmissible, it’s potentially more dangerous. Experts say the variant will be especially dangerous in areas where large numbers of people lack access to the vaccine or are hesitant to receive the shot.

As vaccination rates continue to dwindle, North Carolina has introduced various measures to incentivise vaccinations among its residents, including a $1m Summer Cash lottery programme announced by governor Roy Cooper earlier in June. But so far the state has not seen a significant increase in new vaccinations after the announcement.

If people are simply unwilling to get vaccinated there’s only so much the state can do to change their minds. But if people would be willing to get the vaccine if it were easier to do so, there might be a solution. /Charlotte, June 27

Charlotte Observer