Indiana’s state health commissioner says she’s disappointed by the state’s COVID-19 vaccination rate. Less than half of all eligible Hoosiers are fully vaccinated, with local rates even lower.
During a press conference Friday, Dr. Kris Box acknowledged that vaccination can be a difficult decision for some and said it’s important to listen to their concerns. “And then making sure that you can not be judgmental of them,” she added. “I think that’s the hard part, is I think people feel stigma if they get vaccinated in some areas of our state and stigma if they don’t get vaccinated in some areas.”
Lagging behind in particular are younger age groups and rural areas. State health officials say one-on-one conversations are proving to be the most effective way of convincing people to get the shot, and Box said the state has provided toolkits to help primary care providers address their patients’ concerns.
She also felt that full approval from the FDA could also convince some individuals. “We hear regularly on our meetings with the CDC and the White House, that really, the FDA needs to move,” Box said, “and if they have enough data – which this is, by far, the most studied vaccine in the history of the world, basically, also for all the adverse effects, it’s been studied the most – so if we can get the FDA to move to officially approve this and license this, then I think that will help us with some people.”
Still, Indiana Department of Health Chief Medical Officer Dr. Lindsay Weaver noted that some individuals won’t be convinced until they’re personally affected. “It’s heartbreaking as an emergency medicine physician to take care of people who come in with COVID and are very sick and to hear them say they wish they would’ve gotten the vaccine,” Weaver said. “So I kind of wish that people had the opportunity to tell that story because nobody thinks it’s going to be them until it’s them or their loved one until it’s their loved one.”
Box said the COVID-19 vaccine has proven to be 92-to-94-percent effective at preventing severe illness.
