Douglas County works to bump vaccination rates following COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy survey
The survey gathered 1,000 responses from residents who explained why they have or have not received their shots
The survey gathered 1,000 responses from residents who explained why they have or have not received their shots
The survey gathered 1,000 responses from residents who explained why they have or have not received their shots
Data from a third party's survey on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy was presented to Douglas County commissioners on Tuesday. Commissioners will decide what to do with the information to improve its pandemic messaging and bump vaccination rates in Douglas County.
The month-long survey rounded up 1,000 responses from the community to give a better picture of why people will not get the shot. The following are just highlights of the overall survey.
The survey shows 50% of those who have not received the vaccine said they will never get the shot, 48% said they prefer to wait and 2% said they would get the shot.
When asked who should be the primary messenger for COVID-19 vaccine information, most people answered their "primary doctor," followed by "family and friends" in second and "Internet search" in third.
In their COVID-19 news consumption, 77% of people said they comb through online news, 59% watch television, 34% read newspapers, 28% scroll through social media and 27% listen to radio news.
Dr. Jasmine Marcelin, an infectious disease expert with UNMC and Nebraska Medicine, shared her thoughts on the results. She said as misinformation spreads, good communication from health care providers is key.
"Just making sure that we can provide the answers to people's questions so that what is being shared among friends and family and on the Internet is accurate information that people can help with their decisions," Marcelin said.
The vaccine survey also broke down parent insights, asking whether people with children would vaccinate their kids.
Sixty-five percent of parents of kids currently eligible for the vaccine said they prefer to wait to get their children vaccinated, 22% said they would get their children vaccinated and 13% said they will never get their children vaccinated.
Meanwhile, 58% of parents with kids still not eligible for the vaccine said they would get them vaccinated, 28% said no they prefer to wait and 14% said they will never get their kids vaccinated.
Marcelin said she believes most parents will feel more comfortable getting their kids vaccinated when health authorities give the green light.
"Just even with the data from the manufacturers themselves as well as the interpretations and scrutiny from the ACIP, I think a lot of parents with that information will then be armed to make those decisions for their children," Marcelin said.