Health units tackle ‘vaccine hesitancy’

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As of last week, 21 per cent of Oxford and Elgin counties had received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

Southwestern Public Health’s goal is to vaccinate 75 per cent of the population by September.

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Health units tackle ‘vaccine hesitancy’ Back to video

“I think the most important message is that vaccines are working,” said medical officer of health Dr. Joyce Lock.

“The best vaccine for you is the one you can get today,” she said. “And any one of the three vaccines that are available currently will do the job – and is safe. So we encourage people to get whatever vaccine is available for them. That’s the best vaccine for you.”

Some eligible people have struggled to book appointments, but the good news is that in coming weeks, there will be hundreds of appointments available, said Lock.

“I do encourage people to go online – there are lots of spots open for anybody who was having any trouble earlier,” she said. “The other thing we have is a ‘Call List.’ For anybody over the age of 60 who has had trouble booking, maybe online because they don’t have a computer, or trouble getting through on the phone line, there is a form on our website to fill out and then we will call you to book you in. So if you’re over 60, you’re having trouble, there’s always our wait list, as well.”

Among the 75 per cent the health unit would like to vaccinate, some might have some hesitancy.

There are always early adopters and late adopters, and the same principal applies with COVID-19 vaccinations.

“Some are doing some vaccine shopping,” said Lock, noting that also contributes to some hesitancy.

“That too is okay,” she said. “I don’t think it’s irrational, it’s just the cautious way we as humans tend to approach a new risk.”

What are the adverse risks?

“We tend to speak to the facts that are known. So we do say (in the case of AstraZeneca) ‘there is a risk of a very unusual blood clot, and it’s not like the typical blood clot, and the risk is somewhere around one in one million.’

“So how do we know that that risk is one in one million? It’s because for the health system, every single adverse event after a vaccine is documented. All our family doctors, all our family physicians, all our nurse practitioners know that they have to report the least adverse event … and all of this data is put into the computers at the Ontario level, the national level and the international level.

“That’s why we know the rate in Australia is about one to six in one million. In the U.K. the rate is around one in one million for these blood clots (where AstraZeneca has been used as the primary vaccine).

“So overall, we try to produce the true facts on our website. When you have a risk that’s as small as one in one million, we say it’s safe. So that’s what it says on our website.”

Lock added: “I think we’re starting from a pretty good spot.”

It is unknown at this point whether 60 per cent of the population vaccinated – or 90 per cent – will be necessary longer term.

“We’re going to keep a close eye on it,” she said.

“There is always sort of a spectrum – there are people eager to be vaccinated. And there are people completely refusing to take the vaccine… and fortunately that section is really, really small.”

Among the 25 per cent that might be left, some of them will be undecided, and those are the people the health unit wants to assure and counter misinformation that is being distributed online.

“We encourage everyone to go to a reliable source for their information – go talk to your family doctor, someone you know and trust.

“Go to a valid source – your family doctor, the public health unit website, Ontario’s COVID site.

“There’s one other element to consider when we don’t get 100 per cent of people vaccinated, and it’s an issue the public health unit is attempting to address. It’s that some people simply have barriers to get the vaccine. For instance right now our clinics are mostly in daytime hours. And there are people who work odd hours, or work two jobs, so we do realize that we need to look at ways to extend the hours of availability. In other areas, some pharmacies are going to go to 24/7. We will also be looking to see how we can find extra hours.”

Other barriers include transportation – not everyone in Oxford-Elgin currently has easy access to vaccine – and the health unit is attempting to get as many family physicians onboard as they can.

“We hope to see more pharmacies onboard, and then we will also look to see where we can activate pop-up clinics to allow people easier access… Sometimes our numbers are down not necessarily because of vaccine hesitancy. Sometimes people do want it, there’s just a multitude of barriers which might limit their ability to get to a clinic.”

The majority of those over 70 and 80 in the region have now been vaccinated, and the health unit is currently vaccinating those who are younger (60 and older at mass immunization clinics). Those 40 and older can get vaccinated at pharmacies.

“I think the strongest word of advice to everyone is ‘get the vaccine.’ The vaccine doesn’t always prevent you from getting the illness, but if you do get it, it will be much, much milder.”

It should be noted, said Lock, that the first dose of vaccine does not grant immediate immunity – it takes two to three weeks.

“The vaccine dose doesn’t really start to protect for 2-3 weeks, so people need to continue to play it very safe in those first few weeks after they get the vaccine. You aren’t fully vaccinated until you get your two doses, so we are encouraging everybody to continue to behave in a COVID defensive way – wear your mask, wash your hands, be very careful how you socialize – until we get more people in our community vaccinated. We’re looking to aim for 75 per cent and … second dose.”

cabbott@postmedia.com