With roughly 60% of the adult population having received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, Haines’ vaccination rate is starting to plateau.
The Haines Health Center has been offering a vaccine to anyone 18 years or older who wants one since mid-January.
“Fewer people are signing up to get vaccinated. I think we’re at that saturation point where anyone who wants to get vaccinated has already chosen to,” Haines Health Center clinic administrator Stephanie Pattison said. “Before, we were vaccinating one-hundred to one-hundred and fifty at our clinics. Now, we’re shooting for sixty to seventy-five.”
Pattison said she’s heard from a number of residents who aren’t planning to get vaccinated.
“It’s not just anti-vaxxers. It’s people who have decided it’s just not something they’re choosing to do. In some cases, they’re young and not in a high-risk group. For some, they’re choosing not to do it at this time,” Pattison said.
Jim Studley hasn’t gotten vaccinated, but he said he’s open to the possibility.
“I’m not opposed to vaccines. I’ve been getting the flu vaccine for years,” Studley said.
For him, concerns about the vaccine’s newness and the speed at which it was developed outweigh concerns about contracting COVID-19.
“My personal preference is that they go through much more rigorous testing than what they’ve done,” Studley said, adding that he’s open to the possibility of getting vaccinated once more information is available. “I just want to see how it all turns out.”
Nationwide polls have shown a correlation between distrust of government and vaccine hesitancy, a sentiment shared by some in Haines.
“All their lives, the sheep are afraid of the wolf, and they end up being eaten by the shepherd,” Fred Shields said when asked about his views on the COVID-19 vaccines.
“We have decided to not be a guinea pig for the experimental, emergency COVID-19 vaccine,” Christal Verhamme said of her family’s decision not to get vaccinated.
While most medical professionals favor the vaccine, Verhamme noted that some in the medical community have raised concerns.
“There are…doctors and scientists who are saying the complete opposite of what (Dr. Anthony) Fauci and (Bill) Gates are tormenting the world with. I just hope and pray that everyone will, to the best of their power, research and seek truth before making life-changing decisions of whether to vaccinate or not to vaccinate,” Verhamme said.
Pattison said given the range of views on the vaccine in Haines, the community may not reach the vaccination rate necessary to achieve herd immunity—a percentage that is currently unknown as it varies depending on a disease’s contagiousness. Although the clinic has administered 1,183 first doses of the vaccine, some of these may have gone to nonresidents. The health center is vaccinating anyone in Haines long enough to receive both shots.
While the number of signups for vaccine clinics is dwindling, Pattison said it hasn’t tapered off completely, and it’s possible there could be a new surge of interest in the coming weeks and months.
“We still have people who have finally decided that the vaccine has been out for a while, and now is the time for them to bite the bullet and get the vaccine. We have a handful of people holding out for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine,” Pattison said. “We also have people from down south calling, saying they’re coming back for the summer and asking if they can get vaccines here.”
Haines Borough officials have repeatedly said a high vaccination rate is the town’s best hope for a bustling summer tourism season, but at present neither the borough nor the health center are planning to try to incentivize more people to get vaccinated.
“If increased rates of vaccination translate to more tourism and therefore more jobs and sales tax in the Haines Borough, then it is our job (to convince people to get vaccinated),” interim borough manager and clerk Alekka Fullerton said, but she said she currently has too much on her plate to work on such a measure.
“We’re just going to make it extremely easy for someone to get a vaccine,” Pattison said. “If people keep registering, we will keep doing clinics.”
The next Haines Health Center vaccine clinic is for teens on April 8. Teens age 16-18 can sign up to receive the Pfizer vaccine on that date. The health center is also hosting a drive-through clinic for adults at the fairgrounds on April 12. Participants will be given a choice between the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and the Moderna vaccine, and must sign up in advance at https://covid19.searhc.org/.