Jefferson County has had more doses of COVID-19 vaccines than people willing to get shots in arms at recent vaccination clinics, Public Health Officer Dr. Tom Locke said Monday.

“Vaccine hesitancy is becoming more and more an issue,” he said.

Jefferson County was one of the first counties in the nation to receive the Pfizer vaccine, and  currently leads the state of Washington in the percentage of its population that has been vaccinated. Nearly
50 percent of the county’s population have gotten shots for COVID-19, Locke told county commissioners at their weekly pandemic update May 3.

But there’s been a statewide drop-off in the rate of vaccinations that now includes Jefferson County.

At a pop-up vaccination in Brinnon over the weekend, the county had 100 doses of COVID vaccines available, but only 54 people were vaccinated, Locke said.

And at last week’s mass vaccination clinic in Chimacum, the county had 300 doses available but only 148 takers.

“We’re not filling up our clinics,” Locke said.

Locke said Monday that while
200 doses of the vaccine are available for a clinic planned for Thursday, 120 slots were still available Monday morning.

A clinic that will offer the Johnson & Johnson vaccine next Friday will have 150 doses available, Locke added, but appointments made through Monday will only take up half of the J&J vaccine supply for that event.

Locke cited a recent survey that said roughly a third of Americans were not sure they wanted to get vaccinated against COVID-19, and 7 percent “are on the fence.”

“They are not strongly opposed to it but they are still thinking it over. And about 26 percent are just outright opposed,” he said.

Health experts agree that getting most Americans vaccinated is necessary to reach “herd immunity” and end the pandemic.

That goal is being jeopardized however, by a large segment of the country that is refusing to get vaccinated.

The “hard-core opposition” to coronavirus vaccinations is breaking down along political party lines, Locke said, with men who identify as Republican being the most opposed to vaccinations.

Those feelings may not change, he added.

“It’s not a lack of knowledge. It’s a matter of belief,” Locke said.

Still, there’s the chance that family and friends, clergy and trusted medical advisors will be able to influence those unwilling to get vaccinated, he said.

“But we may be getting to a saturation point as to what we can do with public health messaging,” Locke said.

Meanwhile, the pandemic rages on and the spread of COVID-19 is being dominated by more infectious variants of the virus.

Worldwide, the level of coronavirus infections is the highest its been since the start of the pandemic, largely driven by surges in India and South America.

In the United States, Locke said it appears the country has crested the fourth wave of infections as case rates are dropping — down 27 percent in a recent estimate.

Even so, case rates in some states, including Washington and Oregon, continue to rise.

Washington has seen a 3 percent increase in COVID-19 case rates over the past two weeks and is still in the fourth wave of COVID infections.

The number of hospitalizations has jumped 24 percent over the past two weeks.

The Olympic Peninsula has seen a slight decrease in the COVID case rate, Locke said.

As of Monday morning, before the total number of new coronavirus cases from over the weekend had been reported, the number of new COVID-19 cases in Jefferson County over the past two weeks stood at 19, with six cases over the last three days.

Clallam County had a big surge in cases over the weekend, Locke added, which have been linked to three large gatherings that were starting to meet the criteria to be labeled as “superspreader events.”

Case rates have also been climbing in nearby Kitsap County.

“In our region that’s really the hot spot,” Locke said, adding that some Jefferson County cases have been linked to Kitsap County exposures.

Community leaders will continue to urge those who have not gotten shots to get vaccinated.

Jefferson County Commissioner Kate Dean recalled how getting vaccinated recently has given her greater peace of mind.

“To be able to hug my mom and not worry,” she recalled, and being able to attend a funeral over the weekend. “It’s really gratifying to have that nagging concern gone.”

She said it was frustrating that some refuse to get vaccinated due to ideological beliefs.

Some of those who refuse to get shots for COVID-19, Dean added, have told her they understand the benefits that vaccinations have provided in modern history. That includes a doubling of life expectancy.

“It’s a weird disconnect there that I don’t get,” she said.

Locke said vaccine hesitancy has been fueled by disinformation. Much of it is being spread on social media.

“It’s frightening to people. It’s scare campaigns about experimental vaccines and uncertain long-term effects,” he said.

“It’s not helpful,” Locke said.