By Howard Fischer
Capitol Media Services
PHOENIX -- The state's top health official said not enough Arizonans may be willing to take the COVID-19 vaccine when it first becomes available this coming week to achieve some sort of "herd immunity.''
Cara Christ said that, ideally, Arizona will get to that 70% level of immunization. That's is the bare minimum of what many in the medical community is considered necessary to prevent widespread infection.
But Christ did not dispute that Arizona has a certain number of people who are suspicious of all vaccines. And these are new ones, being permitted through an "emergency use authorization'' by the Food and Drug Administration.
On top of that, more than a third of the state's health care professionals said they are unlikely to get a vaccine, even if approved by the FDA.
Christ, however, said she sees the numbers as "promising'' with 55% of health care providers saying they're likely to get the vaccine.
She also noted that survey was done in the last half of November. Christ said she believes that health care professionals now have more information and their views about the vaccine may be changing.
But this isn't strictly about the attitude of doctors and nurses. The state health director said these medical personnel are among the "trusted sources of health information,'' with individual decisions likely linked to what they hear from these people.
So how does the state convince Arizonans to roll up their sleeves for a novel vaccine.
"We need to create a campaign using the most impactful messages aimed at those who have concerns or are unlikely to take the vaccine to increase the willingness to be vaccinated,'' Christ said. And some of that, she said, will go to the question of who they trust.
"Messages from somebody who already took the vaccine was also one of the best confidence boosters for health care providers,'' she explained. "So encouraging those who have been vaccinated to discuss the vaccination with their colleagues may help improve vaccination coverage.''
All that goes to Christ's goal of getting 70% or more of state residents vaccinated. But the health chief said she is realistic in her expectations of how many Arizonans will go along.
Her best indication is the annual flu vaccine.
"Sometimes we'll fall anywhere between 37% and 50% of the population getting vaccinated,'' she said. "It may fall somewhere in there.''
There are other issues to consider even in encouraging medical professionals to get vaccinated.
One is that the vaccine itself has side effects, including causing a possible fever.
"That's your body's normal response to an infection,'' she said. "And it does that when you get a vaccine.''
And that could result in doctors and nurses, already in short supply, staying home after getting inoculated.
"That is a concern,'' Christ said.
"We've been working with our health care partners discussing the need to stagger their health care workers'' in getting vaccinated, she said. "You probably don't want all of the emergency room physicians going in at the same time.''
Anyway, Christ said, no one wants a health care worker with a fever showing up on the job, even if the suspected cause is the vaccine.
Separately, the health director expressed disappointment with some elected officials who not only do not wear masks but also have told people to ignore the advice of health care professionals about covering up. That specifically includes Republican Congressman Andy Biggs who has posted a series of anti-mask messages on the internet.
"It makes the messaging difficult,'' she said.
Christ said there are scientific studies that prove that masks keep people who may not know they have COVID-19 because they have no symptoms from transmitting the disease to those around them.
"But there are also studies that have scientifically proven that it protects me by wearing my mask in case anybody else is asymptomatic and could be spreading,'' she said. Christ said anyone with questions should find "reputable websites'' for more information, including that of her own agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or local health department "to really get the facts and the data on masking.''