The results from a vaccine readiness survey are back, and they contain some heartening news for local public health officials eager for society to reach herd immunity status. A full 70% of Peoria-area residents say they're ready to roll their sleeves up for the COVID-19 vaccine, if they haven't already.
But that also means 30% of the population has significant qualms. And among Black and Latinx populations, hesitancy rates are much higher -- and the reasons behind it are nuanced.
More than 3,000 residents of Peoria, Tazewell, and Woodford counties participated in the surveydistributed through more than 200 community stakeholder organizations beginning in January 2020. There was a particular focus on the 61603, 61604, and 61605 ZIP codes.
Seventy percent of the Black respondents reside in the 61605 ZIP code which encompasses the South Side, while 45% of the Latinx respondents live in the 61603 ZIP code that includes the East Bluff and North Valley.
"The equity geography and the equity population has that overlap," said Dr. Leslie McKnight, the Peoria City/County Health Department's director of community health policy and planning. "So it was very important for us to pull out that data for those specific populations."
Of the Peoria area's Black survey respondents, 50% said they're hesitant to get the vaccine, with 23% saying they will not, and another 27% taking a "wait and see" approach. The news wasn't much better among the Latinx population, with 44% expressing vaccine hesitancy, 22% saying they won't get the vaccine, and another 22% saying they are unsure.
In Peoria County, whites have received 81% of the more than 108,000 COVID-19 vaccines administered to date. Black residents have received just over 9%, and Latinx populations have received just over 2.5% of that total.
Among the Black population, "nothing" was the most common response to inquiries asking what may make them more likely to get a vaccine.
McKnight said she's encountered that resistance personally, as an African American woman.
"I have been a part of a lot of these conversations, where their knee-jerk response is, 'No, I am not getting it. This is my decision. No.' So what happens is you respect that decision, first of all. But then you have a conversation to get to the 'why.' Because everybody has a 'why.' And all the 'whys' are different," she said.
McKnight said the top three concerns cited were distrust of the COVID-19 vaccine, inexperience receiving a vaccine, and receiving a negative recommendation from friends or family members.
There also are historic reasons for distrust among the Black population.
"In America, African Americans have been targeted for medical malpractice and experiments that have been a detriment to that community," she said. "And I don't know if everyone realizes there's still a level of trauma that exists, right? So that is a dialogue that we have to talk about, and work through that. Because the COVID-19 vaccine is not that. This is a global response, with a global benefit."
McKnight said there also are many preexisting medical conditions people in equity communities are afraid to disclose, particularly cancer.
Some of the other common causes for vaccine hesitancy include the lack of data on long-term side effects, worries about severe allergic reactions, trepidation around pregnancy and breastfeeding, and skepticism around the vaccine's rapid development process.
But negative recommendations from family and friends influencing people not to get vaccinated might have a flip-side, McKnight said.
"What that tells us is that family and friends influence medical decisions," she said.
McKnight said positive recommendations from friends, families, and community leaders are one of the methods the health department hopes to utilize to encourage more vaccination in the community, particularly in the Black community.
McKnight said a positive recommendation from a trusted family doctor, rather than an unfamiliar medical professional, also can have a big influence.
The reasons for hesitancy are different among the Peoria-area Latinx and Hispanic populations. Those communities say there's a dearth of information they need to make an informed decision. McKnight said language and communication are the "fundamental" barriers.
"I'll admit, with the health department, we do post in Spanish, but can we do more? Can we do more? And the answer is absolutely. Yes," McKnight said.
McKnight said Latinx culture is family and community-oriented, with generations of families often living in the same household.
"Are we going to these connections, to these areas, to these families, and are we being intentional about articulating this in their language, in an understandable format? And then the other part of this, do they have access to the vaccine if they decide to get it?" she asked. "In my opinion, there's some work that can be done."
Moving forward, McKnight said the health department will collate the survey results into actionable steps forward to address vaccine hesitancy in the Peoria area.
"We needed to have data that would shape our initiatives and our strategies. That was the purpose of this survey," McKnight said. "I think we were successful in getting that information. And now that we have it, how can we shape and be more targeted with our resources to really overcome the hesitancy? Especially in our equity populations, who, to be honest, really need it the most."
McKnight said the Black and Latinx populations are particularly fragile, with more pre-existing conditions, historic disparities, and lack of access to resources.
"We really need to build up the resiliency in those communities even more," she said.
That includes increasing outreach to equity populations, and making that health information more easily understandable. The health department also thinks continuing to use community leaders to advocate and educate about the vaccine via mass media will pay dividends in reducing hesitancy.
The health department also is trying to make vaccinations more accessible to foot traffic and those using public transportation, as well as allowing appointments to be made not just online, but also via phone, in-person, or via supportive service agencies that can guide patients through the scheduling process.
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