People’s different ways of making decisions are influencing how they respond to vaccines, according to experts at the University of Kansas Health System news conference on Monday morning.
While some people use an analytical, fact-based style, others may be using a fear-based style to make decisions, according to Caroline Poland, a licensed mental health counselor.
If medical professionals are to address the issues, they need to address it from a whole person perspective, she said.
Dr. Greg Poland, director of Mayo Clinic’s vaccine research group, who joined his daughter Caroline in publishing an article about this research topic, said when doctors have a patient who is hesitant about getting the vaccine, often they throw more data at them.
“That turns out not to be very helpful,” Dr. Poland said. “Caroline’s model shows that what we need to do is turn it around, understand the preferred style of the patient in front of us, and adapt our style to their needs.”
Caroline Poland recommended listening to the other person’s motivations, and listening to understand rather than to reply. Then they can meet the individual where he or she is, showing compassion and empathy, she said.
Dr. Greg Poland said current practices of spending just a few minutes with patients are not helpful.
Caroline Poland said that when people feel that their fears or motivations are being swept aside or belittled, they perceive that as a threat. People then go into a defensive mode, she said.
Dr. Poland said they may one day look back at the medical field and realize they allowed time-pressured interactions to dictate the type of interactions they had with patients, and that they are doing the opposite of what they know works best with patients.
“Here we are in our own 1918-like context and we know we’re not going to get out of this until we have a level of herd immunity, probably higher than 85 percent or so,” he said.
But 25 percent of people have said at the beginning they’re vaccine-hesitant or rejecting the vaccine. “In other words, we can’t get to where we want to get to get out of this pandemic, under the current circumstances, so how do we do that?” he asked.
It could take more time to build trust with people, according to the experts.
Dr. Poland said society is no longer in an environment where they can say the vaccine was too hurried and they want to see if it was safe. Well over 100 million doses of vaccine have been given in the United States, and they have not seen safety issues, according to Dr. Poland. A tiny group of people have had anaphylactic responses, about the same amount as other routine vaccinations, he added.
The COVID-19 vaccines are some of the best vaccines that he’s ever seen, and are very effective, he said.
According to the doctors, one in 590 Americans has died because of COVID-19, compared to a possible one in a million who have had anaphylaxis that can be treated.
Dr. Poland said the risks are so different that he stands amazed that someone would take the risk of getting the disease rather than the benefit of the vaccination.
Dr. Poland also said the vast majority of people who are vaccine hesitant are just trying to make the best decision they can, but they need assistance in doing that because often they’re stuck in fear. When they have had to give patients a very bad diagnosis in the past, the patients almost can’t hear the doctors after that first sentence about the diagnosis, he added.
When people offer misinformation as their reason for not getting a vaccine, Dr. Poland said he tries to get people to go to credible sources for their information, such as the website of an academic medical center.
Often, he can trace the vaccine hesitancy back to fear, and it is almost a post-secondary traumatic stress. He helps take people step by step to see the situation differently, he said.
On the topic of where the pandemic is headed, Dr. Poland felt that although numbers are at a plateau in Kansas currently, that the numbers probably would be increasing in the future as they are in other parts of the country. Some experts believe there will be a fourth wave, which other countries have seen, according to Dr. Poland.
Walk-in and by appointment vaccinations offered
Free vaccinations will be available between 9 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 6, at the three Unified Government Health Department vaccination sites in Wyandotte County.
They are accepting walk-in vaccinations from Wyandotte County residents over age 16. Residents also may schedule appointments.
The Unified Government Health Department has launched a new self-scheduling tool for COVID-19 vaccinations, and people are now able to schedule their own vaccinations at their own convenience online.
The self-scheduling tool is at https://vaccines.wycokck.org/, or people may call 3-1-1 to make an appointment. More information is at https://wyandotteonline.com/ug-health-department-launches-new-self-scheduling-tool-for-covid-19-vaccinations/.
Residents 16 and older may either walk in to get a free vaccine or may schedule an appointment. There are three Unified Government Health Department vaccination clinics.
The vaccination sites are open from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at the former Kmart store at 7836 State Ave., the former Best Buy store at 10500 Parallel Parkway and the Kansas National Guard Armory at 100 S. 20th (near 18th and Ridge).
Those Wyandotte County residents in Phases 1 to 4 also may walk in to a Health Department vaccination site, or may sign up for a vaccination at WycoVaccines.org or call 3-1-1.
Those who walk in to get vaccines should bring an ID and something showing their Wyandotte County address, such as mail. For more information about vaccines at the UG Health Department, visit https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-vaccines-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/.
There are also pharmacies giving COVID-19 vaccinations in Wyandotte County by appointment, when available. These include Price Chopper and Hen House pharmacy at 76th and State Avenue, and 81st and State Avenue (see https://www.ballsfoodspharmacy.com/), and Medicine Shoppe pharmacy at 65th and Parallel by appointment when available (see https://www.facebook.com/The-Medicine-Shoppe-Kansas-City-281548241870522). CVS pharmacy also has announced that it will offer COVID-19 vaccines at one of its stores in Kansas City, Kansas. Registration is at CVS.com.
COVID-19 case numbers reported
The University of Kansas Health System reported seven active COVID-19 patients on Monday morning, a decrease of three from Friday, according to Dr. Dana Hawkinson., medical director of infection prevention and control. Of the seven patients, three were in the intensive care unit, a decrease of two from Friday. Two patients were on ventilators, an increase of one since Friday. There were another 13 COVID-19 patients who were hospitalized but are out of the acute infection phase, a decrease of three since Friday. There is a total 20 patients, a decrease of six.
Wyandotte County reported an increase of 40 COVID-19 cases on Monday, April 5, for a cumulative 18,124 cases, according to the Unified Government Health Department’s COVID-19 webpage. There was a cumulative total of 287 deaths reported, an increase of one.
The Mid-America Regional Council’s COVID-19 dashboard reported 164,475 cumulative COVID-19 cases on Monday, an increase of 99. The daily average of new hospitalizations was 60. The number of cumulative deaths was 2,339.
The state of Kansas reported 303,227 cumulative COVID-19 cases on Monday, April 5, an increase of 354 cases since Friday. There were a total cumulative 4,927 deaths reported statewide, a decrease of five.. According to the KDHE, a decrease in deaths was attributed to a review of death certificates. Some deaths initially reported as COVID-19 related were identified during the review process as not having COVID-19 as the ain cause or contributing cause of death. According to KDHE figures, there were a cumulative 56,398 cases in Johnson County, with an increase of 99 cases between Friday and Monday. There were a cumulative 54,913 cases in Sedgwick County on Monday, an increase of 52 cases between Friday and Monday. The KDHE reported a total 7,076 cases in Leavenworth County on Monday, an increase of seven cases between Friday and Monday. There were 16,993 cumulative cases in Shawnee County, the Topeka area, on Monday, an increase of 26 between Friday and Monday.
The Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 dashboard on Monday night reported 30,784,405 cases in the United States, with 555,597 total deaths reported nationwide.
COVID-19 tests scheduled
Free COVID-19 tests will be available from 8 a.m. to noon Tuesday, April 6, at All Saints parish, 811 Vermont Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. The tests are in partnership with the Wyandotte County Health Equity Task Force. Nasopharyngeal swab-PCR tests will be provided by Vibrant Health.
COVID-19 testing is available at 8 a.m. Tuesday at Lowe’s, 6920 State Ave., by appointment. The tests are listed on the Go Get Tested site
at www.gogettested.com/Kansas. The WellHealth tests need appointments, which can be made at the website.
Unified Government Health Department COVID-19 testing and vaccine sites are scheduled to be open on Tuesday, April 6. For more information, visit https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19. To see if there is any change to the schedule, visit https://www.facebook.com/UGHealthDept.
The Health Department is offering saliva COVID-19 tests to the public from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, April 6, at the former Kmart at 7836 State Ave. and at the former Best Buy at 10500 Parallel Parkway. Tests from the Health Department are free for those who live or work in Wyandotte County.
The tests are open to asymptomatic people as well as those who have symptoms or have been exposed to COVID-19. Check with the UG Health Department’s Facebook page to see if there have been any changes in the schedule. Bring something that shows that you live or work in Wyandotte County, such as a utility bill.
The Health Department’s general contact page is at https://www.wycokck.org/Health/Contact.aspx. Their Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/UGHealthDept.
Testing sites are at https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19.
Saliva testing is now offered at the UG Health Department. For more information, visit https://alpha.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/02042021-ugphd-saliva-testing-available.pdf.
The KU doctors’ news conference is at https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/348710203322084.
The University of Kansas Health System COVID-19 update page is at https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/292961702392386.
A weekly vaccine report for the state of Kansas is at
https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/DocumentCenter/View/123/Vaccine-Historical-Document-22521?bidId=.
Wyandotte County has a local mask and social distancing ordinance approved by the UG Commission. The UG COVID-19 webpage is at https://alpha.wycokck.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Information.
The KDHE’s COVID-19 webpage is at https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/.
The KC Region COVID-19 Hub dashboard is at https://marc2.org/covidhub/.
The Wyandotte County page on the Johns Hopkins COVID-19 website is at https://bao.arcgis.com/covid-19/jhu/county/20209.html.
The Johns Hopkins Data in Motion, a presentation on critical COVID-19 data in the past 24 hours, is at https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/covid-19-daily-video.
