Most Calhoun County Residents Say They Would Get COVID-19 Vaccine

Initial results from a survey conducted by Calhoun County health officials show the majority of county residents would get the COVID-19 vaccine.

It was announced at the beginning of the month that Calhoun County public health administrators and elected leaders wanted to hear county residents' thoughts about the COVID-19 vaccines.

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According to WWMT, nearly 73% of those who responded said they would get the vaccine with 13% saying they definitely would not. When asked why they were hesitant, 53.6% of respondents said they were worried about vaccine side effects, 40.1% said they worry about the newness of the shots and 30% said they had no concerns about getting the COVID-19 vaccine.

When asked what barriers may be holding county residents back from receiving the free vaccine 60% said it would be easier to get the vaccine if it was available near their home or work. Others stated that if vaccine clinics offered times outside of traditional business hours 54% said it would be easier to attend to receive the vaccine.

More than 90% of everyone who answered the survey lived in Battle Creek, Marshall, or Albion. These results are based on the 535 responses to the survey received by April 13, 2021.

At a Wednesday afternoon press conference, Governor Whitmer said due in part to variants, (mainly B-1.1.7.) of COVID-19, Michigan's infection rate is at 18% (five times higher than in February.) and some hospitals are at 90% capacity with Covid patients.

Michigan has been in the national headlines for weeks due to the surge in COVID-19 cases within the state. Tuesday Michigan recorded a near-record amount of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. The good news is that vaccines have shown to be 99.99% effective in Michigan.