FAYETTEVILLE -- Many adults in Arkansas are getting the covid-19 vaccine despite having some doubts about the shot, according to a study conducted by researchers at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Northwest Campus Office of Community Health and Research.
The researchers recently published four articles based on the study, focusing on topics such as vaccine hesitancy, facilitators to vaccination, motivations for vaccination and trusted sources of vaccine information among hesitant adopters, according to a press release from the university.
Between April 22 and July 6, 2021, 1,475 people were surveyed at drive-through clinics and community vaccination events throughout the state during the 15 minutes they are required to wait after being immunized. Results showed 60% of adults who received the vaccine in Arkansas experienced at least some level of vaccine hesitancy.
The research also found influence from family members and a desire to protect themselves against covid-19 led survey participants to overcome those doubts and get the vaccine. Other trusted sources of information for hesitant adopters of the vaccine were health care providers and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the survey found.
Although some hesitant adopters said they didn't trust any sources of information about the vaccine, researchers found that most do trust their doctor and their family, according to Rachel Purvis, an assistant professor and researcher in the Research Office.
"Personal testimonies from people who received the vaccine can be incredibly powerful," she said.
The study findings show there is hope people can overcome their hesitancy and get vaccinated, said Don Willis, a researcher and assistant professor in the office.
The study shows there is a difference between vaccine hesitancy and stronger positions of vaccine refusal or staunch anti-vaccine positions, Willis said.
Community members should know sharing their positive vaccine experiences with their social networks, friends and family have more of an impact than they realize, Purvis said.
Health care providers should understand reservations and concerns, even among people who are getting vaccinated, are normal, and encourage patients to ask questions, Willis said.
"The more we speak about hesitancy as a more nuanced thing that is common among unvaccinated and vaccinated people, the more likely we are to get people to ask the questions they really want to know more about," he said.
Vaccine hesitancy was designated by the World Health Organization as one of the top 10 threats to global health in 2019, prior to the global covid-19 pandemic, according to the press release.
As of Friday, 10,425 people in Arkansas have died of covid-19, including 2,064 in Benton, Washington, Crawford and Sebastian counties, according to the Arkansas Department of Health. Since Feb. 1, 2021 -- when vaccines started to become widely available -- about 73% of cases, 81% of hospitalizations and 80% of deaths in the state have been among unvaccinated individuals, according to the department.
As of Friday, 68% of the eligible population in the state is fully or partially vaccinated, and 19% have received a booster shot, according to the Department of Health.
Numbers are similar in Northwest Arkansas. In Benton County, 67.2% of eligible Benton County residents are fully or partially vaccinated and 18.3% are boosted; in Washington County, 69.8% are fully or partially vaccinated and 18.3% are boosted.
In the River Valley, 60% of eligible residents in Sebastian County are fully or partially vaccinated and 14.9% are boosted. In Crawford County, 55.3% of the population is fully or partially vaccinated and 15.4% is boosted.
The Northwest Arkansas Council, which hosts weekly mass vaccination clinics as well as smaller pop-up clinics, saw an increase in the number of people getting vaccinated during the omicron surge in January and February, according to Ryan Cork, executive director of the council's Health Care Transformation Division. A number of people come to the clinics to get their second and booster doses, but there are still people coming to get a first dose, he said.
The council conducted a poll last spring that showed the top reasons for vaccine hesitancy in Northwest Arkansas were questions about safety, side effects and how rapidly vaccines were developed.
The survey showed some people wanted to wait and see what the side effects would be before getting the vaccine, Cork said. Having vaccines on the market for more than a year may have made those with a wait-and-see approach now feel comfortable, he said.
Cases and hospitalizations
The number of new cases and hospitalizations in Northwest Arkansas continued to fall this week.
Benton and Washington counties reported 52 new covid-19 cases Friday, down from 181 new cases a week ago, according to data from the Northwest Arkansas Council. Sebastian and Crawford counties reported a combined 30 cases, according to the Department of Health.
Northwest Arkansas hospitals collectively were caring for 58 covid-19 patients Friday, compared to 97 a week ago, according to data from the Northwest Arkansas Council. Patients ranged in age from 2 to 88.
The high for the week was 67 patients Monday, according to the council. The region's record high for hospitalizations was 183 patients on Jan. 24.
Eighty patients were in intensive care units Friday and 27 were on ventilators, down from 100 ICU patients and 39 ventilators a week ago. Patients in ICU and on ventilators include both those with covid-19 and other medical needs.
In the River Valley, 10 patients were hospitalized with covid-19 at Mercy Fort Smith and four were in ICU, according to spokeswoman Mardi Taylor.
Baptist Health Fort Smith was caring for 19 hospitalized covid-19 patients Friday, including seven in covid critical care units and four on ventilators, said spokeswoman Alicia Agent.
Key study findings
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None• Thirty-one percent of respondents reported they were a little hesitant about receiving a covid-19 vaccine, 19% said they were somewhat hesitant and 10% said they were very hesitant.
• Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander respondents were less likely to report higher levels of vaccine hesitancy than white respondents, possibly due to significant outreach and education efforts implemented in Arkansas.
• As respondents’ health literacy increased, their hesitancy toward vaccines decreased, the researchers found.
Source: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences