BEAUMONT, Texas – Just over a quarter of Southeast Texans 12 and over are fully vaccinated. Jefferson County leads the field with 34 percent and Newton County with 19 percent.
President Joe Biden wants 70 percent of Americans to be vaccinated by July 4th, but our numbers are miles away from that goal. We are looking for the reasons why we struggle like this.
The state reports the lowest number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in over a year.
The not-so-good news is that only 44 percent of Texans 12 and older are fully vaccinated. A Beaumont doctor shares why he thinks people won’t get the injection until July 4th.
“I think Biden’s goal is just that; it’s a goal. It is a point that any state or city can reach, ”said Dr. Msonthi Levine.
President Biden wants at least 70 percent of Americans to be partially, if not fully, vaccinated.
“But he knows with that statement that not every place will achieve this goal by the time he said it was,” said Dr. Levine.
With only 44 percent of Texans vaccinated, it is safe to say that Texas Biden will not achieve its goal. Dr. Levine said he wasn’t surprised when you consider how the U.S. is reacting to vaccines.
“I can tell you, long before the pandemic, we struggled to get 90 percent or 70 percent and get patients to get common vaccines, flu shots, and moon shots every day. These are vaccines that have been shown to reduce the possibility of infection, ”said Dr. Levine.
Dr. Levine describes the top three reasons people are reluctant to get vaccinated.
Reason one: They say the vaccine was rushed. Dr. Levine says this is wrong.
“You went through the right procedures to get approval for this use of this vaccine. You hear the term emergency approval all the time. And basically that means that they give priority to this product, they cut off all red tape, ”said Dr. Levine.
Reason two: People have conspiracy theories about the contents of the vaccine.
“If we start where we start with the foundation of medicine, so to speak, the foundation of government can do that to itself and will not get us anywhere. We have to trust these people and trust them at their word, unless something is obviously wrong and we really haven’t, ”said Dr. Levine.
Reason three: The vaccine needs to be more convenient.
“You will always have the limited response of the average American. So you have to get it to you, and that has always been more successful than making it easier when I get to you,” said Dr. Levine.
Dr. Levine says that now that we have better control of this virus, he hopes more people will decide to roll up their sleeves soon.
