California Lags on COVID Shot Rates; Previously Ahead, Now Behind Nation

It seems the word is getting out about the new COVID shot, just maybe not the word the hard core pandemicists want.

As of the last Friday, only 10.1% of Californians had opted to get the latest COVID shot unveiled in late September, thereby becoming “up-to-date” in their “vaccination” status. Note – “vaccination” is intentionally in quotes because none of the COVID shots are actual vaccines by the long-standing definition  of the word.

Exactly defining “up-to-date” was a bit of a challenge, as neither the CDC nor the state Department of Public Health replied to multiple requests for an exact definition.  In talking to local public health officers, however, it appears “up-to-date” means having had the new shot and does not include even those who have had multiple previous shots and boosters, so, so much for that.

The national average – according to the latest CDC numbers – is 16%.  In the past, California has at least stayed about even with if not outpaced the national rates.

Why fewer people are getting the new shot could have a multitude of reasons, from the public being “over COVID” to people having already seen COVID up-close and found it not to be the as-monstrous threat to everyone – no matter their age and health status – it was made out to be by power-hungry government officials, media “panic click” sellers, suddenly famous doctors, and massive pharmaceutical companies. 

Also definitely playing a part in the low uptake is the fact that people have learned a few things in the past three years.  First, none of the shots offered so far prevent the spread of COVID.  Second, none of the shots offered so far keep people from getting COVID.  Third, the shots have far higher rates of “adverse effects” than typical actual vaccines – the number for the COVID shot is one in 800 people, for the polio vaccines it’s one in a million.  And, fourth, natural immunity gained by having had COVID – which nearly everyone has had whether or not they were aware of it –  is real and the public knows that now.

That information, said Stanford professor of medicine Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, has finally begun penetrating into the public consciousness despite the nearly overwhelming censorship surrounding all aspects of the COVID discussion that has occurred.

“Public health pushed the idea that there was no acquired immunity, but people experienced that in their own lives,” Bhattacharya said.  Couple that with the “vaccination” push failed to consider any form of “rational balancing” between high risk and low risk and was sold under the false premises of immunity and non-contagion, and it becomes clear why fewer and fewer people are getting the shot.

The state figures also show a distinct geographical difference, with Bay Area counties leading the shot tally.

In fact, the Bay counties average about an 18% shot rate, while the southern California counties averaged about 7%

“Who is getting the shot?” also seems to track closely to political and socio-economic factors, with – as in the past – whiter, wealthier, better credentialed (note – not necessarily better educated) people more likely to get the shot (this applies less to the age break out as about 26% of people older than 65 have gotten the shot.)

The county with the highest rate, therefore, should not come as a surprise:  Marin.

24% of county residents have had the new shot, with the number climbing to nearly half for the over-65s.

While the numbers track the white, wealthy demographics, they do come as a surprise considering Marin County was practically the epicenter of the white, wealthy (women) anti-vax movement from about a decade ago.

Marin Public Health Officer Dr. Matt Willis started with the county at about that time and said the lessons learned from the experience and how his office listened to the community and have built trust since have been crucial elements contributing to Marin’s consistently high COVID shot rates.

Willis said they realized that the “anti-vaxxer” tag was not actually correct and that most people – when it came to their kids’ school vaccines – were not necessarily concerned about every and all vaccines but about specific shots.

That realization – gained through intensive gathering of public feedback and opinion – gives Willis a slightly different perspective on the current statewide numbers.

While he steadfastly believes the first shot wave was crucial and that people should stay “up-to-date” on their shots, not getting the new shot is “not an irrational decision,” Willis said, and that those opting out are not just “victims of misinformation” as is so often claimed by other state and national public health leaders and groups.

In other words, just because someone says they don’t like the new BMW does not mean they are opposed to the entire concept of the automobile.

Willis said his office’s approach understands that not wanting to get a COVID shot does not make a person a wild-eyed paleolithic “anti-vaxxer,” and that this understanding has allowed the community to better retain its trust in public health in general.

That trust has cratered around the nation and could be one of the most problematic victims of the pandemic response as the very idea of public health requires public trust to work.

Bhattacharya – a staunch critic of the over-reaching of the pandemic response at every level – said the Willis approach to public health is a concept other departments and agencies should follow.

“Once we get back to that understanding that people need to reasoned with rather than coerced, then the crucial importance of public trust can begin to be rebuilt,”  Bhattacharya said.

Just a reminder – neither the CDC nor the California Department of Public Health responded to the request for the specific definition of “up-to-date” they are using.

Clearly, that’s a lesson they haven’t learned yet.