Category: Covid-19 Vaccine

Hispanic community leaders in western Washington say Latinx are lagging behind in vaccination numbers and they hope to turn that around.

SEATTLE Sept. 15 marks the start of Hispanic Heritage Month.

Several celebrations are kicking off the first week, but some community leaders said its also an opportunity to get members of the Hispanic and Latinx community protected against COVID-19.

As of Wednesday, around 65% of King Countys Hispanic and Latinx population age 12 and older is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to Public Health Seattle and King County data. Nearly 79% of eligible King County residents ages 12 and up have completed their vaccination series, the data shows.

Out of the 181,000 people in the countys Hispanic and Latinx population, a little more than 60,000 are still not fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the departments data as of Sept. 15.

The well-known annual celebration Sea Mar Fiestas Patrias has a virtual celebration set for Saturday, Sept. 18, followed by an event focused on fitness and health the next day. The event on Sept. 19, will host a COVID-19 vaccine clinic, offering both first and second doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

We are using our Fiestas Patrias celebrations to attract them, to vaccinate them, and to have a healthy exercise, said Jorge Madrazo, chairman of Sea Mar Fiestas Patrias. Latinos are overrepresented in the unvaccinated community. This is pretty concerning, and we want to invite once again our people to get the vaccine. We need to convince them that this is the way to be safe and healthy.

The virtual event Saturday at noon will feature cultural representations from Mexico, Peru, El Salvador and Guatemala. You can watch the virtual event by clicking here.

Sundays in-person fitness and health fair will offer people the chance to try all skill levels of Zumba classes while also receiving general health education and a COVID-19 vaccine. This event runs from noon to 5 p.m. at Sea Mar Community Center, located at 9635 Des Moines Memorial Dr. South in Seattle.

Breaking barriers

A spokesperson for Public Health Seattle and King County told KING 5 that some social and economic barriers to the COVID-19 vaccine remain even as the team has hosted or supported nearly 100 community vaccination events since March, all geared toward BIPOC and immigrant communities.

Getting time off from work to get a COVID-19 shot is among the barriers the public health department said might stand in the way of Hispanic or Latinx community members getting vaccinated. The department said this community also tends to be younger than the community at large and may not have equal access to health care, which is a result of systemic racism and bias.

The county health department said it is continuing several vaccination events throughout the area.

The next events geared specifically for the Hispanic and Latinx community are scheduled for Sept. 24 at Lake Burien Presbyterian Church and Sept. 25 at the Auburn Health Fair.

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Seattle Hispanic Heritage Month events focus on boosting COVID-19 vaccination rates - KING5.com

Prince William County Schools to decide COVID-19 vaccine, testing policy

Prince William County Schools employees could soon be required to get vaccinated against covid-19 or submit to weekly testing.

MANASSAS, Va. - Prince William County School employees could soon be required to get vaccinated against COVID-19 or submit to weekly testing.

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The school board is scheduled to meet Wednesday to discuss and vote on a resolution.

The resolution states that all current PWCS employees - including teachers - must disclose their vaccine status by November 1. All new workers would be required to disclose their vaccination status within 30 days of hire. Anyone not fully vaccinated or those who refuse to disclose their vaccine status would be required to undergo weekly COVID-19 testing.

"Whereas, it is the highest priority of the Prince William County School Board to open its schools for in-person learning while protecting the health and safety of students and staff, and in order to do so, it is necessary to require all PWCS officials, employees, and those persons providing services who have direct contact with PWCS students to be vaccinated," read part of the resolution.

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Prince William County Schools to vote on COVID-19 vaccine and testing policy - FOX 5 DC

The UN agencyis urging everycountry to vaccinate at least 40% of its population by the end of thisyear, andhopes to help ensure that70% of the worlds populationisby the middle of next year.

At a press conference on COVID-19and vaccine equity in Africa,which is home to more than 1.2 billion people,Mr.Ghebreyesusinformed that, so far,justtwocountries in Africa have reached the 40% target, the lowest of any region.

Thats not because African countries dont have the capacity or experience to roll out COVID-19 vaccines. Its because they've been left behind by the rest of the world,"he said.

Mr.Ghebreyesusexplainedthat this leaves people at high risk of diseaseanddeath,exposed to a deadly virus against which many other people around theworldenjoy protection."

For him, the longer vaccine inequity persists, the morethe virus will keep circulatingandchanging,the longer the socialandeconomic disruption will continue,andthe higher the chances that more variants will emerge that render vaccines less effective.

To avoid this situation, last yearWHOpartnered with UNICEF,CEPI, GAVIand others to createCOVAX.So far,the initiativehas shipped more than 260 million doses to 141 countries.

Mr.Ghebreyesuspointed to severalchallenges, with manufacturers prioritizing bilateral deals and many high-income countries tying up the global supply ofshots.

He also highlighted a similar initiative,establishedby theAfricanUnion, theCOVID-19 Vaccine Acquisition Task Team, known asAVAT.

This Monday and Tuesday, WHO representatives met with the leaders of AVAT to agree on a way forward, Mr.Ghebreyesussaid: Vaccine inequity is a solvable problem."

Hecalled onmanufacturers to prioritize COVAX and AVAT. Tocountrieswithhigh coverage levels, he asked them toswap their near-termvaccinesdeliveries,fulfil their dose-sharing pledges immediately,andfacilitate the sharing of technology.

TheWHO chief also calledon all countries and manufacturers to share information onbilateral deals,supplyanddelivery projectionsand torecognize all vaccines withaWHO Emergency Use Listing.

The AfricanUnions Special Envoy for COVID-19,Strive Masiyiwa,also participated in the briefing, alongsidethedirector of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention,JohnNkengasong,theUnder-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa,VeraSongwe, and WHO Regional Director for Africa,MatshidisoMoeti, among others.

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Only 2% of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered in Africa - UN News

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Miss Flavia went first, in March.

Some of her staff were ready to go next. One teacher, 22-year-old Mishelle Acosta, said she didnt care that her parents opposed the coronavirus vaccine, and got jabbed.

But not every employee at Houstons Museum District Child Care Center was as eager. Some of the other 15 women working there had questions about the vaccines potential side effects, its effectiveness, whether it was adequately tested during its rushed production and if it caused pregnancy complications.

Weeks passed, the vaccine became more widely available and more employees got inoculated.

They started seeing that we were getting vaccinated and we didnt turn into zombies, said Flavia Souza, director of the child care center, which cares for roughly 70 children ages 2 through 5.

But some were not ready. Issa Arevalo, a 24-year-old teacher, said she hesitated because I just felt like there wasnt enough research [on the vaccines].

The centers owners discussed requiring employees to be vaccinated. Some large businesses in other states were making the same calculation, weighing the health benefits of vaccination for staff and customers against individual freedoms and the difficulty of finding new employees during an ongoing labor shortage.

By August, national companies including Disney, Facebook, Google and Tyson Foods announced that their employees must show proof of vaccination or potentially submit to regular testing. That same month, United Airlines said its U.S. employees must be vaccinated by October, while Delta Airlines said unvaccinated employees have to pay $200 per month to remain on the companys health plan.

But in Texas, where the fast-spreading delta variant has flooded hospitals with COVID-19 patients, large companies, including American Airlines and Southwest Airlines, are strongly encouraging employees to get the vaccine, but not requiring it.

One large Texas hospital system Houston Methodist announced a vaccine mandate for its massive workforce this spring. After strong resistance by some employees including a lawsuit that was later dismissed 153 employees who refused to be vaccinated by the June deadline resigned or were fired.

But mandates have been the exception for businesses in Texas, where Gov. Greg Abbott banned government entities from requiring employees to be vaccinated and signed a bill that will punish businesses that require customers to show proof of vaccination. Violators are cut off from getting state contracts and risk losing their state licenses or permits. When two Austin restaurants last month required customers to show proof of vaccination, the state threatened to revoke their liquor licenses.

Abbott also has banned local governments from enacting measures intended to slow the spread of the virus like government vaccine mandates. Cities, counties and school districts in the states major urban areas have responded with lawsuits challenging Abbotts order and many have defied it.

It kind of comes from our governor and politicians, Souza said. Theyre the ones setting the rules and setting the examples. I feel like a lot of people would be more strict on the vaccine if they had more support from [political leaders].

Dr. Vivian Ho, health economist at Rice University, said businesses are generally wary of entering a political conflict, and whether to require vaccination has become a heated argument.

Government holds the purse strings, Ho said. Businesses are affected by all sorts of decisions by government, and Abbott and the state government control their taxes and all sorts of regulations they can dramatically harm [businesses].

By May, at least 13 of the 16 staffers at the child care center were vaccinated. That was an encouraging development women of color make up most of the center's workforce, and according to state health data, about 42% of Hispanic women and 34% of Black women are fully vaccinated, compared to 48% of all Texans. While Souza and the centers owners decided not to require vaccination at that point, Souza made it her mission to convince them to do it voluntarily.

The first step was to educate them, she said.

Parents with children at the child care center said that theyve seen other centers close during the pandemic, but Museum District Child Care has stayed open its running at capacity. Only once did the center close during the pandemic right after Februarys winter freeze, when Souza and a few others at the center contracted the virus and they closed the facility for a week.

Miss Flavia and the team were really good about communicating the protocols they had in place, very clean and clear, said Sehban Zaidi, who has a 2-year-old at the child care center.

Souza implemented temperature checks and mask mandates for employees and sent regular safety protocol updates to parents, who were no longer allowed inside the building they must drop off and pick up their children at the front door.

But Souza made an exception for one parent, giving him a special invitation to the facility this spring.

Some days Souza chatted about the pandemic with Doug Litwin as he picked up his 2-year-old son Alex. Litwin works in data intelligence in health care and has a Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology.

I have read more about the history and science behind vaccines than the average person, Litwin said.

Souza thought her staff could benefit from listening to Litwin and asking him questions. So she invited Litwin to come to the facility on a Saturday when no children were there, only staff.

All people 12 and older are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine in Texas. Children ages 12-17 can get the Pfizer vaccine, but COVID-19 vaccines are not mandatory for Texas students.

State and local health officials say that vaccine supply is healthy enough to meet demand across much of Texas. Most chain pharmacies and many independent ones have a ready supply of the vaccine, which is administered free and mainly on a walk-in basis. Many private doctors' offices also have it. And you can check current lists of large vaccine hubs that are still operating here.Public health departments also have vaccines. You can register with the Texas Public Health Vaccine Scheduler either online or by phone. And businesses or civic organizations can set up their vaccine clinics to offer it to employers, visitors, customers or members.

Yes. Medical experts recommend that people who have had COVID-19 should still get the vaccine. If someones treatment included monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma, they should talk to their doctor before scheduling a vaccine appointment. The CDC recommends that people who received those treatments should wait 90 days before getting the vaccine.

Yes. Health experts and public officials widely agree that the vaccine is safe. The three currently approved vaccine manufacturers Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson reported their vaccines are 95%, 94% and 72% effective, respectively, at protecting people from serious illness. While no vaccine is without side effects, clinical trials for Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson show serious reactions are rare.

He came and talked for like two hours, she said. Educating them, how the virus works, how the vaccine works, how the vaccine helps. Because it was very new. But he brought flyers for them, answered their questions and their concerns.

With vaccine misinformation exploding through social media, Litwin offered a familiar face for employees and spoke clearly and with authority, they said. He explained why the vaccine is safe and why he trusted it.

People dont know what to believe any more, Litwin said. I have more years of scientific training than anyone should ever have and its hard for me to figure out whats going on online sometimes. I understand the fear.

Arevalo, still unvaccinated at that point, had questions about whether the vaccine would lead to issues down the road with pregnancy or infertility.

Litwin said he has seen no evidence that getting inoculated now would negatively impact pregnancy or childbirth later on. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends COVID-19 vaccination for all people who are pregnant, breastfeeding, trying to get pregnant now, or might become pregnant in the future.

I would give it to my sons right away if it was approved for kids, Litwin said.

Acosta and Arevalo have been friends for years and both got jobs at the child care center late last year. As the vaccines rolled out in December, they eventually found an apartment and became roommates.

Acosta quickly got the vaccine after Texas officials announced in the first week of March that teachers and child care workers were eligible. Arevalo said she wasnt in a rush. She never opposed it, she said. She was just skeptical. Her friend understood her hesitation.

We did have a lot of teachers that were concerned because, you know, they werent sure what it was that they were going to be putting in their bodies, Acosta said.

After listening to Litwin speak to the staff, Arevalo started thinking more about whether she should get vaccinated. Then she received news that helped push her to get the shot.

After her family moved to a different area of Houston in 2011, Arevalo grew close with their new neighbor the mother of one of her classmates. Arevalo said she would often go over to the womans house for dinner, and she became like my second mom ... We got very, very close.

Last winter, Arevalo learned that the neighbor had been hospitalized with COVID-19. She spent weeks in the hospital.

She ended up passing away in April, Arevalo said, wiping tears from her eyes. After that, I got the vaccine right away.

By May, only a few employees remained unvaccinated. The owners and Souza told the staff that vaccinated employees would no longer be required to wear a mask at work.

We were all ready to do away with the masks, said teacher Ann Scroggins.

I dont remember exactly how many were left, Souza said. But there were the last few who went to get the vaccine once we dropped the mask mandate if youre vaccinated.

Educating them in a comfortable environment was key, she said. So was the example she and others set by getting vaccinated first, showing that safety was critical especially in a job working with young children who are especially vulnerable to the new delta variant.

Now, as Souza looks to hire a couple more employees, COVID-19 vaccination is required for the job. With the recent surge in cases, employees are all required to wear masks again at work.

So far during the latest surge, the center hasnt had a single positive case.

Darla Cameron contributed to this report.

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A Houston day care convinced all its workers to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Now it requires a shot. - The Texas Tribune

BROOKINGS, S.D. (KELO) Getting a COVID-19 vaccine in Brookings could earn you some big money.

The city of Brookings says its giving away $50,000 in COVID-19 vaccine incentives along with $10,000 in scholarships. Prizes include 10 $5,000 cash prizes as well as 10 $1,000 scholarships to South Dakota State University students.

To be eligible, you must be a legal resident of the United States and be a resident of Brookings County or be currently enrolled at South Dakota State University and living in Brookings County.

You need to be at least 12-years-old or a parent of a minor must complete the registration. You can enter the contest by receiving one dose or double your chances if you become fully vaccinated.

More official rules and regulations can be found on the contests website.

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City of Brookings giving away $50,000 in COVID-19 vaccine incentives - KELOLAND.com

Scientists are thinking about the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines in two main ways. The first is at the level of the immune response, which is mainly being measured by antibody levels.

When people just look at antibody levels and say that theres waning, I think thats a little bit problematic and it doesnt really capture what the immune response normally does, said Deepta Bhattacharya, a professor of immunobiology at the University of Arizona College of Medicine.

In almost every type of immune response, he explained that immune cells produce an initial wave of antibodies early after vaccination. Immunologists say that the quality of those antibodies at the beginning is pretty poor.

He said this response is thought to be a way of generating a lot of antibodies to try and keep things under control at the beginning. Then those antibodies are gradually replaced by a fewer number of high-quality antibodies, ones able to stick to the virus better.

If you just look at the total antibody levels, it looks like they decline, he said. But you dont really lose a proportionate amount of protection, because those poor antibodies are being replaced by better ones.

Even if the virus does manage to slip past the antibodies, the immune system is much better prepared to deal with it. He said that other memory immune cells quickly make a whole bunch of additional antibodies and kill any virally-infected cells.

All of these different layers of defense, he said, cooperate to keep the virus under control.

The second way that scientists are evaluating vaccine effectiveness is by examining the overall number of COVID cases, the rate of infection and the rate of vaccination.

But when assessing vaccination rates, its important to consider the entire population that is susceptible to disease, not just those who are eligible for the vaccine, said Dr. Francesca Torriani, a professor of medicine in the infectious diseases division at the University of California San Diego.

Original post:

How are scientists measuring the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines? - The Dallas Morning News

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas A surprising number of people in our state aren't getting the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Doctors say one dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine isn't enough protection.

Numbers from the Texas Department of State Health Services show:

"I know too many people who have passed away because of this disease," Corpus Christi resident Cindy Reyes said. "And it's heartbreaking. And i don't understand why people won't get it."

If you missed your second dose, some doctors say that even three or four months between shots still can provide effective protection to battle COVID-19.

Continue reading here:

Many Texans are skipping their second COVID-19 vaccinations - KRIS Corpus Christi News

A new survey from Cincinnati-based Interact for Health indicates that 56% of local adults reported that had received a COVID-19 vaccine and that an additional 7% reported that they will definitely get the vaccine.

Eighteen percent had not yet decided whether they will get the vaccine while 19% said that they definitely would not get a vaccine.

The survey was conducted in July with results released Thursday as part of the Greater Cincinnati COVID-19 Health IssuesSurvey.

These data show that the debate about COVID-19 vaccines is not simply about favoring or opposing the shot, said Ross Meyer, vice president of strategy with Interact for Health. Many still want to get the vaccine or are undecided. We need to help our friends, family members and coworkers who feel this way find reliable information about vaccination and get help with transportation and child care so they can take the time to get vaccinated.

Intent to get the vaccine among African-Americans in the region was particularly of interest, the organization said. Only 24% of African American adults reported they received a vaccine. However, 34% of African American adults said they definitely will get the vaccine, much higher than the 3% of white adults.

This suggests there are African-Americans who would like to get vaccinated but havent yet, providing an opportunity for additional community outreach, the organization said.

Reasons for not getting vaccinated

Respondents who were not yet vaccinated were asked to rank how important a variety of reasons were in their decision not to get the shot. The following reasons were ranked as very important: the desire to confirm the safety of the vaccines (72%), concern about side effects (64%) and concern about the timeline for developing the vaccines (64%). Respondents were able to select more than one concern as very important in their decision making.

Since the survey was conducted, the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine received full federal approval. There are two other vaccines, from Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, that are also widely available free and and highly effective.

Health care providers the preferred source for information

National data have demonstrated that people are receptive to vaccine information from health care providers. Thissurveyfound similar results, showing that 55% of respondents trust their physicians a great deal to provide reliable information about the COVID-19 vaccine, followed by pharmacists (42%) and local health departments (38%).

Doctors, nurses and pharmacists have been on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic response, said Christa Hyson, assistant director, emergency response and public information officer with the Health Collaborative. Many of them have also lent their support to efforts to increase community vaccination. As we continue our efforts to get 80% of those eligible in our region vaccinated, we need health care providers to encourage vaccination at every encounter and be ready to refer their patients for vaccination as needed.

Common barriers to vaccination

Thesurveyshowed that efforts to make vaccination accessible have made a difference. A majority of Greater Cincinnati adults reported it is very easy to find a place to get a COVID-19 vaccine that is convenient for them (70%), a place that they trust (68%) or a place that is open at a time that fits their schedule (60%). African American adults and those living in poverty are less likely to think it was very easy to find a vaccine.

-Staff report

Photo:The queue set up for COVID vaccines at a St. Elizabeth Healthcare facility earlier this year (RCN file)

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Survey: About 1 in 4 in Region Want COVID-19 Vaccine But Haven't Gotten It or Are Undecided - The River City News

Saint-Herblain (France), September 13, 2021 Valneva SE, a specialty vaccine company, today announced that it has received a termination notice from the UK Government (HMG) in relation to the Supply Agreement for its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, VLA2001. The contract provides HMG with the right to terminate. HMG has alleged that the Company is in breach of its obligations under the Supply Agreement, but the Company strenuously denies this.

Valneva is continuing its VLA2001 development plan. Testing for the Companys pivotal Phase 3 trial, Cov-Compare, is ongoing at Public Health England (PHE). Valneva recently announced that its Phase 3 results are expected to be available early in the fourth quarter and that these results will form part of its rolling submission for conditional approval of VLA2001 with the UKs Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Subject to these data and MHRA approval, Valneva believes that initial approval for VLA2001 could be granted in late 2021.

Valneva has worked tirelessly, and to its best efforts, on the collaboration with HMG including investing significant resources and effort to respond to HMGs requests for variant-derived vaccines. Valneva continues to be committed to the development of VLA2001 and will increase its efforts with other potential customers to ensure that its inactivated vaccine can be used in the fight against the pandemic.

About VLA2001VLA2001 is currently the only whole virus, inactivated, adjuvanted vaccine candidate in clinical trials against COVID-19 in Europe. It is intended for active immunization of at-risk populations to prevent carriage and symptomatic infection with COVID-19 during the ongoing pandemic and potentially later for routine vaccination including addressing new variants. VLA2001 may also be suited for boosting, as repeat booster vaccinations have been shown to work well with whole virus inactivated vaccines. VLA2001 is produced on Valnevas established Vero-cell platform, leveraging the manufacturing technology for Valnevas licensed Japanese encephalitis vaccine, IXIARO. VLA2001 consists of inactivated whole virus particles of SARS-CoV-2 with high S-protein density, in combination with two adjuvants, alum and CpG 1018. This adjuvant combination has consistently induced higher antibody levels in preclinical experiments than alum-only formulations and shown a shift of the immune response towards Th1. CpG 1018 adjuvant, supplied by Dynavax Technologies Corporation (Nasdaq: DVAX), is a component of the US FDA- and EMA-approved HEPLISAV-B vaccine. VLA2001s manufacturing process, which has already been upscaled to final industrial scale, includes chemical inactivation to preserve the native structure of the S-protein. VLA2001 is expected to conform with standard cold chain requirements (2 to 8 degrees Celsius).

Story continues

About Valneva SEValneva is a specialty vaccine company focused on the development and commercialization of prophylactic vaccines for infectious diseases with significant unmet medical need. The Company takes a highly specialized and targeted approach to vaccine development, beginning with the identification of deadly and debilitating infectious diseases that lack a prophylactic vaccine solution and for which there are limited therapeutic treatment options. It then applies its deep understanding of vaccine science, including its expertise across multiple vaccine modalities, as well as its established vaccine development capabilities, to develop prophylactic vaccines to address these diseases. The Company has leveraged its expertise and capabilities both to successfully commercialize two vaccines and to rapidly advance a broad range of vaccine candidates into and through the clinic, including candidates against Lyme disease, COVID-19 and the chikungunya virus.

Media & Investor ContactsLatitia Bachelot-FontaineVP Global Communications & European Investor RelationsM +33 (0)6 4516 7099 laetitia.bachelot-fontaine@valneva.com

Joshua Drumm, Ph.D.VP Global Investor RelationsM +001 917 815 4520joshua.drumm@valneva.com

Forward-Looking StatementsThis press release contains certain forward-looking statements relating to the business of Valneva, including with respect to the progress, timing, design, data read-outs, anticipated results and completion of clinical trials for VLA2001. In addition, even if the actual results or development of Valneva are consistent with the forward-looking statements contained in this press release, those results or developments of Valneva may not be indicative of future results. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by words such as "could," "should," "may," "expects," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "aims," "targets," or similar words. These forward-looking statements are based on the current expectations of Valneva as of the date of this press release and are subject to a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievement expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. In particular, the expectations of Valneva could be affected by, among other things, uncertainties involved in the development and manufacture of vaccines, unexpected clinical trial results, unexpected regulatory actions or delays, competition in general, currency fluctuations, the impact of the global and European credit crisis, the ability to obtain or maintain patent or other proprietary intellectual property protection, the cancellation of existing contracts, including but not limited to the HMG Supply Agreement, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the occurrence of any of which could substantially harm Valnevas business, financial condition, prospects and results of operations. In light of these risks and uncertainties, there can be no assurance that the forward-looking statements made during this presentation will in fact be realized. Valneva is providing the information in this press release as of the date hereof and disclaims any intention or obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

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Valneva Receives Notice of Termination of COVID-19 Vaccine Supply Agreement by UK Government - Yahoo Finance

At the region's biggest hospital, Kootenai Health in Coeur d'Alene, 97% of COVID-19 patients are unvaccinated and all of the intensive care unit beds are filled. Education Images/Universal Image via Getty Images hide caption

At the region's biggest hospital, Kootenai Health in Coeur d'Alene, 97% of COVID-19 patients are unvaccinated and all of the intensive care unit beds are filled.

Jeremy Smith and his wife Sheena are on a four-wheeler, leading me up a dirt road on the 20 acres of mostly undeveloped land they live on near Sagle, in the Idaho panhandle. We stop near a big grove of trees and get out. It's beautiful.

"We've got some Douglas fir. This is a grand pine. This is a maple," Smith says as he walks along a private trail.

Smith and his extended family have been hunkering down here since the pandemic began. They are a minority in this very conservative part of Idaho. They take COVID-19 seriously and wear masks. And unlike 65% of the people in Bonner County, they're fully vaccinated.

"We've done everything we possibly could to stay healthy," Smith says.

Which is why they are so frustrated about the situation in North Idaho. Earlier this week, state public health officials activated crisis standards of care for at least 10 hospitals across ten Northern Idaho counties because of an unprecedented surge of hospitalizations due to COVID-19.

This means health care facilities are overwhelmed and are now rationing care for everyone, regardless of their diagnosis.

"If we get hurt and go in now, our health care is almost certain to be compromised," Smith says. "It's really frustrating."

Hospitals are cancelling most surgeries, warning of long wait times, and urging people to avoid risky activities that could land them in the emergency room because, bottom line, there might not be a bed available.

Smith says his elderly, handicapped father has had to put off back surgery.

"He's going to be in pain until Christmas because of other people's choices, not because of anything we've done wrong," he says.

Smith is angry, but understands what's going on. Many people in this part of Idaho have long been skeptical of authority, and any kind of government information. He's not surprised it has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the nation.

"This is a place that is very attractive to people who have an independent, self-sufficient mindset," he says. "The idea that if anything comes along, you can just take care of it."

Driving around, you see a lot of yellow Gadsden flags that say "Don't Tread On Me." And since the beginning of the pandemic there have been loud protests against shutdowns, mask requirements and the vaccine.

"You don't plunge a whole entire civilization into an experimental vaccine," says Branden Sing, who lives in the city of Sandpoint.

The Food and Drug Administration fully approving Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine in August hasn't swayed him to get a shot. He thinks the pandemic has been hyped up and that the vaccines were rushed.

"If you attach a death count clock on TV to any crisis it's going to be a fearfully driven situation," he says. "There's going to be a lot of people making a lot of mistakes."

Sing says he has friends and family who have had adverse side effects from the vaccine. His mother-in-law, for instance, recently had a brain aneurysm caused by a spike in high blood pressure.

"I think my mother-in-law is a victim of the vaccine," he says.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says dangerous or deadly side effects from COVID vaccines are extremely rare.

But again, Sing and many others in North Idaho don't trust those agencies. Instead, some are taking supplements and non-FDA approved medications to combat the virus. Sing believes COVID-19 isn't that big of a deal for people who keep their immune systems healthy.

But there are a growing number of people here who aren't faring well. In the past week, 18 people have died in North Idaho from COVID-19 and there are currently more than 550 people hospitalized across the state. At the region's biggest hospital, Kootenai Health, 97% of COVID patients are unvaccinated and all of the intensive care unit beds are filled.

Part-time North Idaho resident Ed Crosby's brother-in-law, who recently took a hard fall and hit his head, had to wait two days for an ICU bed to open up at Kootenai Health.

"He had to spend two days laying in the ER not getting the care that he really needed," Crosby says. "It made me extremely angry."

The surge is also stressing out health care workers in the region as hospitals become overwhelmed.

"We are just seeing a huge influx of very actively sick people," says Kelli Hansen, a nurse at Bonner General Health, a 25-bed critical access hospital in Sandpoint.

She's surprised by how many young, unvaccinated people are getting seriously ill from the delta variant.

"These people are afraid," she says. "They can't breathe. Their anxiety goes up. That means increased pain. That means they're not sleeping well. They're exhausted. It's heartbreaking to see that suffering happening."

Hansen says her hospital is strapped for resources right now. It's also facing a staff shortage due to burnout, people getting sick, and skyrocketing housing prices that make North Idaho less affordable for nurses and other hospital staff.

But Hansen still loves the job. She also tries to not to judge patients and others for not getting vaccinated. She's worked for 17 years in Sandpoint and understands the prevailing ethos here.

"Because of the newness of this vaccine and this pandemic, there are unknowns. I can see where someone might be uncomfortable," she says. "If that's the case and they choose not to [get vaccinated], I really implore people to take those other precautions such as masking, social distancing and taking care of themselves."

But wearing masks and social distancing still isn't happening in much of North Idaho. Health officials fear that the worst may still be on its way because school just started. Most districts aren't requiring masks and there have already been reports of teachers and students testing positive for COVID-19.

The number of people getting vaccinated in Idaho has more than doubled since July, but for the last three weeks it's been flat.

This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, the O'Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West in Montana, KUNC in Colorado, KUNM in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

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Idaho's Hospitals Are Overwhelmed, But Many Locals Remain Skeptical Of Vaccines - NPR