Why are some people still resisting the COVID vaccine? Government mistrust is one reason
California is among the states with the highest acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination, but the vaccine rates are lower in the Central Valley and other areas of the state.
A new study found that distrust of government is common among state residents who are not vaccinated and don’t plan to get the shots.
According to the study by ChamberOfCommerce.org, 35.3% of unvaccinated California residents cite government distrust as a reason for not getting inoculated against the coronavirus.
The analysis used data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s “Household Pulse Survey” conducted in early February. With the number of people getting COVID shots plateauing nationwide, about 74% of the 2.3 million unvaccinated residents in California are not likely to get vaccinated, the study concluded.
The vaccine hesitancy is a problem for Central Valley counties like Stanislaus as health agencies try to control outbreaks during the endemic phase of COVID-19.
Local and state pandemic measures have been relaxed since the COVID omicron variant peaked in mid-January, but the county is expected to keep dealing with the contagious respiratory disease. Almost 120,000 county residents have been infected with COVID since March 2020 and 1,694 have died.
Local health officials credit vaccinations and booster shots for the lighter severity of the recent omicron surge, and vaccines will be an important tool when the omicron subvariant (BA.2) or other variants surface here.
“It is very important,” said Kamlesh Kaur, a county public health educator. “Getting more people vaccinated will provide more protection, especially to our vulnerable populations.”
Kaur said the county was better prepared for the highly contagious omicron variant because of improved vaccination coverage, contagious disease precautions in the community and some short-term natural immunity. Booster shots also served to keep residents safer as the delta and omicron variants struck the county, she said.
Still, the county recorded 135 deaths due to COVID-19 in the period from Jan. 16 to Feb. 13, when the omicron variant was dominant.
30% in Stanislaus with no protection
While more than 90% of people in California and the New England states are at least partly vaccinated, about 70% of eligible Stanislaus County residents age 5 and above have received at least one dose, leaving 30% without any vaccine protection against new variants.
Adults ages 18 to 49 in Stanislaus County have a full vaccination rate of 58%, and 30% have received no COVID vaccine. Full vaccination coverage is 75% in the more vulnerable 50-to-64 age group and 81% among seniors 65 and older.
The study from ChamberOfCommerce.org found that fear of side effects was a concern among 51.3% of unvaccinated Americans, and 45.6% said they didn’t trust the vaccines. But the 36.3% citing distrust of government shows how vaccination decisions have “undeniably” taken on political character, the study concluded.
“Given the government’s key role in supporting the development and distribution of the vaccines, (that) group will remain difficult to persuade,” said a summary of the study.
The nationwide study found that the more politically liberal states in the West and Northeast have the highest percentages of vaccinated adults, between 90% and 95%. Many of the states with lower vaccine percentages are politically conservative, including Idaho at 72.5%, Wyoming at 68.7% and Mississippi at 69.5%.
Stanislaus County is a more politically divided pocket of “deep blue” California and one of the counties where the majority of voters supported the recall of Gov. Gavin Newsom, the leading figure of the state’s pandemic response.
County surveys also revealed distrust
Aside from the politics surrounding COVID vaccines, Kaur said some distrust of government agencies was also noted when the county did surveys in the Latino and Black communities because of their lower vaccination rates after wide release of COVID vaccines in spring 2021. Due to exploitation and neglect, Black Americans have a history of wariness toward the medical establishment and public institutions.
Kaur said the county worked with groups in those communities to dispel misconceptions and disinformation about the vaccines. Today, full vaccination coverage is 46% among Latinos age 5 and older in Stanislaus County and 44% among Blacks — higher than the 37% in the white population.
Asians and Pacific Islanders have the highest vaccination rates locally at 63% and 68%, respectively.
Kaur said the county surveys revealed other concerns, such as possible side effects and how fast the vaccines were developed. “A lot of people believe they don’t need the COVID vaccine,” Kaur said. “They know someone who had COVID-19 and they recovered, so they will take their chances and see how it goes.”
The county continues to look at overall vaccination rates in ZIP code areas and plans outreach and education programs to increase vaccination rates.
This story was originally published March 24, 2022 at 7:34 AM.
