How do we convince the neighborhood to Get Jabbed?
Why is Woonsocket so far behind in COVID-19 vaccines?
As of last week, 48.9 percent of Woonsocket residents
were considered at least partially vaccinated — the lowest worst rate of
any community in Rhode Island
By Dan McGowan Globe Staff,Updated July 28, 2021, 6:00 a.m.
Governor Dan McKee and Woonsocket Mayor Lisa Baldelli-Hunt encourage residents to get vaccinated.State of Rhode Island
How did state health officials know Woonsocket was going to have a problem getting COVID-19 shots in arms of residents?
It was the open appointments.
When
Governor Dan McKee announced on April 9 that anyone over the age of 16
in communities hit hardest by the virus were eligible for the vaccine,
state health officials watched with amazement as appointments were
snapped up almost as quickly as they came open.
“People
were willing to drive anywhere in the state to get vaccinated, except
Woonsocket, and people in Woonsocket weren’t signing up as much as in
other communities,” McCarthy recalls.
The results speak for themselves.
As
of last week, 48.9 percent of Woonsocket residents were considered at
least partially vaccinated — the lowest rate of any community in the
state, and one of the lowest rates of any city or town in Southern New
England. (New Bedford, which is slightly larger than Woonsocket, was at
48.3 percent partially vaccinated.)
With
the Delta variant causing COVID-19 cases to spike across the country,
McCarthy said he is especially concerned about places like Woonsocket,
which trails behind most of the state in vaccinating the most vulnerable
population (people age 65 and over) and has the lowest vaccination rate
in Rhode Island for people age 24 and younger.
“At
this point, we’re considering everything,” McCarthy told me when I
asked if stronger mandates (like a vaccination requirement) or some kind
of incentive program would help places like Woonsocket.
Figuring
out why Woonsocket residents appear more reluctant to get vaccinated is
appears to be a bigger challenge, especially when other densely
populated cities and towns have had more success. In Central Falls, nearly 63 percent of residents are partially vaccinated. Providence is at 56.8 percent.
Woonsocket
Emergency Management Agency Director Timothy Walsh said the city has
been working with various partners — including the National Guard,
Thundermist Health Center, and Landmark hospital — to accelerate
vaccinations. He said officials have also met with religious leaders to
promote the vaccine.
“We’re trying our hardest,” Walsh said. “I think we’re going in the right direction.”
But
the city’s vaccination campaign doesn’t appear as comprehensive as it
has been in other hard-hit communities. In Central Falls, for example, Mayor Maria Rivera went door to door to urge people to get the shot. She also made frequent appearances on the news, and had an aggressive social media campaign.
By comparison, a quick review of the Mayor Lisa Baldelli-Hunt’s Facebook page shows
two posts about the vaccine since April 1. The city’s website isn’t all
that helpful, either. When I asked to speak with Baldelli-Hunt this
week, she had Walsh call me instead.
Councilman
John Ward acknowledged that he has no specific explanation why
Woonsocket’s vaccination rate is worse than every other community in the
state, but he said that anti-vaccination sentiment and cultural fear
and mistrust of the government could be contributing factors. Ward
suggested that people living in the country illegally are likely to be
more fearful of the government than others.
Alex
Kithes, a former councilman and frequent critic of the city’s political
leadership, put it more bluntly: “The general sentiment in Woonsocket
is that we shouldn’t really pay attention to what’s happening because
the government is dysfunctional.”
Kithes
said city officials should have known sooner that it would be difficult
to reach residents, and they should have mounted a campaign the way
Central Falls and Providence have.
McCarthy
said there’s no singular answer for why Woonsocket is lagging behind
the rest of the state, but he was quick say that residents need to
understand that having already had the virus is not a good excuse for
not getting the vaccine.
As
with other hard-to-reach communities, McCarthy said it’s better for
residents to hear from “someone they know and someone they trust” as
opposed to a more heavy-handed approach from state leaders.
McCarthy might not be interested in pointing fingers, but I will.
It’s
July 2021. The vaccine is widely available. COVID-19 infection rates
are surging. The sixth-largest city in Rhode Island needs to do better —
and not just for the sake of its residents. At this point, what
Woonsocket does, or doesn’t do, affects all of us.
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