A few days ago, U.S. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) sent an email to supporters highlighting her recommendations for increasing Covid-19 vaccination rates, which has become even more critical now that the Delta variant is surging.
Both the vaccinated and unvaccinated are spreading the Delta variant. From today’s Washington Post: “Spread of delta variant ignites covid hot spots in highly vaccinated parts of the U.S., Post analysis finds”:
Two-thirds of Americans in highly vaccinated counties now live in coronavirus hot spots, according to an analysis by The Washington Post, as outbreaks of the highly transmissible delta variant … ignite in more populated and immunized areas still short of herd immunity. The Post analysis illustrates how rapidly the state of the pandemic changed in July from a problem for the unvaccinated to a nationwide concern, though life in highly vaccinated states is still safer.
In Los Angeles County, for example, fully vaccinated people make up 20% of new Covid cases, though they have much lower rates of hospitalization and death than the unvaccinated. This seems to be the pattern everywhere.
But we can help! Here’s the crux of AOC’s email:
The reasons some are reluctant to get vaccinated are varied, but we know that getting vaccinated is the number one way we will get ourselves out of this pandemic and ensure a healthy society for decades to come. [...]
Last week, Alexandria hopped on Instagram to share some tips for having conversations with loved ones in your life who may be hesitant to get vaccinated. We wanted to share those with you:
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Find their number one reason for hesitancy.
There’s a lot of misinformation out there about the COVID-19 vaccines, but there’s usually one main issue a person may have heard that’s giving them hesitancy. Empathize with some of those root causes. It’s totally normal to be concerned, so don’t mock people! Understand where they’re coming from. Asking follow-up questions with genuine curiosity is key.
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Share your personal experience with getting vaccinated.
If someone is getting bad information, it’s likely that they might not trust traditional institutions or vetted reporting. So sending them a bunch of articles and stats in response and trying to “debate” is not going to work. Shaming someone won’t persuade them.
What people do respond to is personal stories from people they actually know. So share your story about getting vaccinated and ask them non-judgmentally if they have any questions about your experience.
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Offer assistance to lift any logistical barriers.
A lot of people don’t know or don’t believe that the vaccine is actually free. Let them know it’s free (from your personal story!), offer them a ride, or show them how to make an appointment.
Also included is a Covid-19 Vaccine survey asking people to “share how COVID-19 and vaccination is being viewed in [their] community.”
(emphasis hers)
We can do this, one person at a time.
As AOC points out (as do others, such as the Yale School of Public Health), taking the time to talk to people personally and listening to their concerns is the best approach. And every person who helps a hesitant person get vaccinated is preventing a multitude of tragedies.
We can help end this pandemic sooner, lower the risk of hospitalizations and deaths, avoid the emergence of possibly more transmissible and deadly variants, and avoid overwhelming our healthcare systems by taking positive action now.