Covid-19 : Majority of county residents keen to take COVID-19 vaccine when accessible; college steerage stays in orange tier | Information, Sports activities, Jobs
picture by: Lawrence-Douglas County Public Well being
Nov. 25 COVID-19 replace from the well being division
Nearly all of Douglas County residents who took a latest survey from the well being division mentioned they might “definitely” take a FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine when one turns into accessible, based on survey responses.
A month in the past, Lawrence-Douglas County Public Well being put out a survey asking residents how keen they might be to take a FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine when one turns into accessible. Fifty-five % of the three,031 residents who took the survey mentioned they might positively take the vaccine, a Wednesday press launch from the well being division mentioned. An extra 23% mentioned they might in all probability take a vaccine.
The survey was accessible from Oct. 21 to Nov. 4, and it requested about residents’ willingness to take a vaccine, hesitancies, decision-making elements and preferences round vaccine sources and websites throughout the neighborhood.
“These survey results are promising as we look to communicate effectively to our community to address the safety and efficacy of any FDA-approved vaccines,” Charlie Bryan, Enterprise Programs Analyst with Lawrence-Douglas County Public Well being, mentioned within the launch. “We continue to analyze the survey results as well as plan for equitable distribution and accessibility of an approved vaccine when it’s available to the public.”
However some survey-takers had been much less fascinated about receiving a FDA-approved vaccine. Eleven % of respondents mentioned they might positively not take the vaccine and 10% mentioned they might seemingly not take it. Individuals who dwell in Lawrence had been extra keen to be vaccinated, in comparison with survey respondents who dwell exterior of Lawrence, the discharge said. Moreover, among the many completely different races, Black and Native American/Alaskan Native respondents had been the least keen to be vaccinated.
“There are complex reasons why people responded with hesitancy. It will be important for us to continue to analyze this feedback as we work to plan and communicate with our community and provide them the information they need as an FDA-approved vaccine becomes available,” Alex Kimball Williams, Well being Fairness Planner with Lawrence-Douglas County Public Well being, mentioned within the launch.
Essentially the most outstanding considerations in regards to the vaccine listed by respondents included security and effectiveness, and respondents mentioned their most trusted sources for details about the vaccine had been docs and native well being businesses.
Faculty Steering Replace
Lawrence-Douglas County Public Well being introduced Wednesday that its steerage to colleges would stay within the orange tier for a 3rd straight week. The steerage recommends county faculties proceed utilizing hybrid in-person studying strategies and prohibit some “high-risk” athletics and actions.
Tuesday, the Lawrence college board voted to not undertake the native well being division’s college coronavirus steerage, and mentioned it intends to create its personal model with extra standards to contemplate. The brand new model, nonetheless, seemingly gained’t be adopted till Dec. Three on the earliest. Till then, the varsity board will proceed to observe the well being division’s steerage.
Because the Journal-World reported, college board members who voted in opposition to adopting the county’s pointers mentioned that they needed so as to add further standards — resembling incidence charges — for the district to contemplate. The well being division at the moment bases its suggestion primarily based on the 14-day common of recent circumstances and the 14-day common check positivity charge.
Wednesday, the well being division shared that the county’s 14-day common check positivity charge was 7%. That % is down from a latest excessive of over 12% in early November, and up from a latest low of 4.9% in mid-October.
picture by: Lawrence-Douglas County Public Well being
14-day common COVID-19 check positivity charge in Douglas County as of Nov. 25
Whereas the check positivity charge is on a downward development, well being division spokesperson George Diepenbrock mentioned the 14-day transferring common of recent circumstances stays excessive.
The county has averaged about 71 new circumstances per day during the last 14 days, based on a 14-day transferring common graph up to date weekdays by the well being division. The present common of 71.29 new circumstances per day is down barely from a latest excessive of 72 circumstances per day earlier this week up from a latest low of 17 circumstances per day in mid-October.
Douglas County reported 4,644 circumstances of COVID-19 as of Wednesday, a rise of 93 circumstances since Tuesday. Of the 4,644 circumstances in Douglas County, 3,432 are inactive or past the infectious interval, which means 1,212 circumstances are lively.
Twenty-five sufferers at Lawrence’s hospital had COVID-19 on Wednesday, the identical quantity as Tuesday. Twenty-two county residents have died from the virus up to now.
KDHE’s on-line map famous that 39,928 Douglas County residents had been examined for the illness up to now. The county’s testing charge per 1,000 individuals was 326.6.
