“You are going to either get COVID or get vaccinated,” she said, “and I’d rather be vaccinated.”
‘So much further to go’
A total of 51 people got doses Wednesday at the health center. Thirty-four were getting their first dose and most were walk-ins.
Site supervisor Lawanda Crayton said that’s a switch from just a couple weeks ago, when most were appointments for their second doses and less than a dozen people were getting vaccinated in a day.
Numbers began increasing at the end of last week, she said.
“They are saying, ‘I have a family member in the hospital,’ or ‘I have someone close to me get sick,’” Crayton said.
Nurse Rebecca Rozycki said she is spending more time with people, answering questions before they get the jab. Many are in her chair because they’ve lost loved ones, or a trusted person told them they should get the shot.
“They thought they didn’t have to worry about it anymore,” Rozycki said. “But now it’s back.”
The county health department has data tabulated for doses it has given out only through July 15. It has mirrored the statewide trajectory.
After giving more than 18,000 shots a week in mid-April, that number dropped to just about 500 a week in June and the first half of July.