COVID-19 vaccine saturation is uphill battle for health departments, clinics

Health departments and clinics around the metro are trying to work through vaccination saturation.

PROBLEM EXISTSTONIGHT:ALTHOUGH VACCINES CANHELP CURB THE SPREADOF COVID-19.VACCINE HESITANCY ISKEEPING IMMUNITY FROMQUICKLY RISING.41 ACTION NEWSREPORTER SARAH PLAKEEXPLAINS HOW HEALTHLEADERS ARE TRYING TOBREAK THROUGH ADIFFCULT BARRIER.Teesha Miller worked in publichealth for 20 years, and itrecently included helping thecommunity get the covid-19vaccination.That"s the pathwayforward, is for us tocontinuallyopen the door and have thoseconversations.The vaccination became topof mind in her personal life aswell after her husband'scancer diagnosis in spring2020"That's when I really began totake note because of coursyou have a loved oneexperiencing a health crisisand there's this potentiallydeadly virus out there."Her efforts to inform hercommunity also extended toher own family..

Especiallyafter her husband passedaway in May 2020"In january 2021 i signedfor and received the pfizervaccine with my elderlyparents and my oldest son.And had a very spiritedconversation with our twoyounger children.

They wereabsolutely against me beingvaccinated and i told them i'myour lone surviving parent andi will do whatever i need to doto ensure i'm here to take careof you."Metro-wide healthdepartments and clinics areseeing vaccine saturation -those who wanted the vaccinegot it..

And the rest are stillhesitant or refuse to get it"What we know from focusgroups, surveys, is that peopletrust people they know.

Wewant to make sure people areable to talk to people theytrust in their communities,whether it's faith-basedleaders, being able to talktheir doctors, their nurses."The White House'svaccination coordinator saidthe U.S. won't meet their goalof 70 percent of all adultshaving at least onevaccination by July 4 - buthey're on track"We have more than 175million people with at leastone dose, more than 150million people fully vaccinated.And when you look at 30 yearsof age and older, 70 percentof those folks have beenvaccinatedTeesha Miller says she wantspeople to see her passion..

Assomeone who"s not in themedical field."Being able to overcome that- it takes having advocatesyou can reac