“I didn’t want to get the vaccine,” said Francine Byrne of Clintondale, “but I didn’t want COVID, either.”
The vaccine won. On Wednesday, Francine and her husband Terry sat in the mostly-empty county vaccination center at the Hudson Valley Mall, where they waited the requisite 15 minutes after their shots to ensure they had no allergic reaction.
When asked about his decision to get vaccinated, Terry laughed and stuck his thumb out toward his wife. “I’m only here cause she told me to be.”
“I wanted to get back to normal,” said Francine.
With Thursday’s CDC announcement that people who are fully vaccinated no longer need masks, except in special circumstances, “back to normal” is the name of the game.
But in Ulster County and throughout the U.S., vaccination rates are declining. “Instead of thousands [of shots] a day,” said County Executive Pat Ryan in a recent online briefing, “we’re happy to be doing a few hundred a day.”
The U.S. Census Bureau lists top reasons for vaccine hesitancy across the nation (respondents were able to pick multiple reasons): Fear of side effects (49.8 percent); Don’t trust COVID-19 vaccines (48.2 percent); Don’t trust government (35.9 percent) and Don’t believe I need it (34.3 percent).
Against this backdrop of hesitancy, Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan has been urging residents to get vaccinated to protect themselves and each other. “We’re in a race against the variants,” said Ryan.
The concern is that if people see vaccination solely as a personal choice between their likelihood of contracting Covid-19 (especially a severe case) and receiving a newly developed vaccine (which some consider inherently risky), then reaching the 70-80 percent herd-immunity threshold may be unlikely. That’s why the messaging is stressing the effect foregoing vaccination could have on others. The longer the virus spreads, the more likely it is to mutate into a form that evades the current vaccines, putting the world back where it was in early 2020.
As of Friday, 47 percent of Ulster County residents have been fully vaccinated.
What locals are saying
Teresa Thomas-Washington, a volunteer at the Best Buy vaccination site, said she thinks the problem is fear. “People are just scared,” she said. Some of the young people she knows, Thomas-Washington said, believe all kinds of “crazy stuff” because of social media influence, like the vaccine will make you sterile or that it’s micro-chipped. “Some people don’t even believe the vaccine is real!”
We spoke with a number of Ulster County residents who expressed hesitancy about or opposition to getting vaccinated. For privacy’s sake, we used a pseudonym for each.
Jim, a 59-year-old Rosendale resident, said he was considering the Johnson and Johnson shot until the vaccine’s rare blood-clotting side effect sent him back to the drawing board.
“I’m cautious about the vaccine,” he said. “I’ve never gotten the flu, never had a flu shot. I trust my immune system.”
A bartender who retired from clinical social work, Jim said he’s not convinced that the vaccines are safe, despite assurances from the CDC and the medical establishment.
“The vaccines have only emergency FDA authorization… The clinical trials won’t be finished until 2023.” He wants to wait until the vaccine has full FDA approval and clinical trials are finished before he reconsiders.
Meanwhile, Jim plans to boost his immune system as much as possible. “Lots of sunshine,” he said. “Vitamin D. And humming,” he added with a laugh. He also emphasized that he is not “cavalier” about the disease. He uses all recommended precautions, including masking, hand-washing and social distancing, to avoid the risk of spreading COVID-19.
“I don’t think I’ll get [COVID-19],” Jim added, noting that he hasn’t yet been infected despite his exposure to the public as a bartender. “And if I do, I think it will be mild.”
Another COVID vaccine nay-sayer, Martin, 70, a Feldenkrais healer, has been researching alternative treatments. Zinc, he believes, together with a zinc ionophore (a substance that helps zinc get into the cells), is an option the medical establishment has ignored. He also endorses early treatment with monoclonal antibodies.
“I’m not an anti-vaxxer,” he said. “But I’m for safe vaccines.” He feels the jury is still out on COVID-19 vaccines. “If COVID can be treated, why would I want a vaccine?”
David, a Kingston resident, doesn’t plan to get the vaccination at all, though his wife thinks he should. His wife suffered through a COVID-19 infection at home and was vaccinated with Pfizer after recovering.
But David feels that after nursing his wife through COVID and staying healthy, he’s safe. “I just decided I didn’t need [the vaccination],” said David, who says his decision is a personal one, and he takes precautions to keep others safe. “I wear my mask outside and in restaurants. I try to distance.”
There are people, too, who have ongoing conditions that make them leery of vaccinations. Martha, a Rosendale resident who is normally pro-vaccine, recently suffered a long illness due to a botched surgery. “My stomach is so reactive, I can’t take any medications,” said Martha. Although her doctor said she should get the shot, she doesn’t quite trust doctors anymore.
“I’m terrified of COVID, and I’m terrified of the vaccine,” she said, adding, “There’s so much pressure.” Martha mentioned one person who scolded her, saying it was “because of people like [her]” that the COVID problem wasn’t going away.
“Maybe in a year or two, I’ll consider it,” Martha added.
Her wait-and-see attitude seems common among vaccine naysayers. An unvaccinated Warwarsing resident, who is on an immunosuppressant due to a liver transplant, said, “I’m not comfortable with how quickly [the vaccine] went through.” She wants to wait at least another year before considering the shot.
‘The only way out’
“I believe thoroughly,” said Ryan, “and I think all science backs it up, that the only way out of the pandemic and shutdowns of the economy and schools, back to life as we know it, is through the vaccine.”
The recent relaxation of masking requirements by the CDC is rooted in studies conducted on vaccinated individuals. “People who have been vaccinated, [even] when they are rarely asymptomatically infected, they are not shedding virus to others,” said Dr. Rochelle Wolensky, CDC director, in a recent television interview.
The change may also serve as a motivation for those tired of wearing a face mask whenever they leave the house. As President Biden tweeted yesterday, “The rule is now simple: get vaccinated or wear a mask until you do. The choice is yours.” (As of Friday afternoon, New York State’s mask mandate remained in place, though Ryan said Thursday that he expects New York will follow federal guidance as it has in the past.)
For now, local outreach is focused on making it as easy as possible for those who want to get vaccinated to do so.
“We’re ramping up local walk-in and mobile clinics,” said Ryan in an interview on Wednesday, including at Stewart’s Shops. He’s also invited organizers to host small “vaccination pods” at community events, like farmers’ markets.
“I think it’s very much an oversimplification to say there are people for or against,” said Ryan. “There are a significant number with challenges.” Ryan feels people are intimidated by vaccine mega-sites and challenged by the logistics of getting to a site. “We have to make it easier for [them].”
Ryan, a military veteran, thinks of vaccination as a civic duty. “The anniversary of D-Day is coming up. Generations of people have risked their lives for the country.”
But he doesn’t think the vaccine is much of a risk.
“I believe the science and health experts,” said Ryan. “[The vaccine] is a pretty easy ask.”
The Ulster County Vaccine Distribution Coalition, led by Dr. Marc Tack, is working to answer questions and bring the vaccine to individual communities.
“Despite my frustration,” said Ryan, “I understand that people have concerns and we need to address the concerns as best we can.”
For more vaccine information, visit VaccinateUlster.com or call the Recovery Service Center at 845-443-8888.
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