Vaccination Demand Down in Northeast Ohio

Health officials are concerned that fewer northeast Ohio residents are signing up to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

The vaccination rate in Cuyahoga County was rising steadily for the first few months of the year, as more people became eligible.

The rate peaked in mid-March when everyone 16 years and older became eligible, but it’s now slowing down.

Health officials believe one reason for the slowdown is the plentiful local vaccine supply, which has allowed people who were most excited about the vaccine to get it.

Summit County canceled their next mass vaccination clinic that was scheduled at the fairgrounds on April 27 because they didn’t have enough people who signed up.

Recent news about the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and a possible connection to blood clots could also be behind the slowdown, said Donna Skoda, Summit County Health Commissioner.

“I think with J and J it was a shock to the system,” she said.

“I think people had to take a moment to regroup. Once individuals had a chance to digest it, I think they went back to scheduling appointments," Skoda said.

There are people who believe in vaccines but may not get them because they think they are healthy enough to not need them.

“There’s a group of individuals that just don’t take vaccines,” she said. “About 50 percent of America has never taken a flu shot.”

Some worry about the cost and don't know the vaccine is free. That’s why education is important, so people realize even healthy people need the COVID-19 vaccine to stop the spread of the virus, she said.

Summit County will now need to pivot to smaller, community-based clinics to reach people who are more hesitant, Skoda said.

“This is going to be the harder stretch now,” Skoda said. “Labor intensive, with smaller numbers, to try to get individuals vaccinated.”

Clinics are being held at Buddhist temples and Islamic mosques in Cuyahoga and Summit Counties.

Health officials also plan to go back to homeless shelters to vaccinate more people.

There has also been a push statewide from the governor for employers to host clinics for their employees.

And in Cuyahoga County, Health Commissioner Terry Allan says vaccine clinic pop-ups are happening in many neighborhoods, and the county is partnering with non-profits to reach more people.

What about people who can't make appointments?

For some people, making an appointment might be difficult with their work schedules or childcare responsibilities.

Summit County allows some walk-ups during their vaccine clinics, and MetroHealth internal medicine specialist Dr. Brook Watts said they try not to turn anyone away if they walk up.

Transitioning to a full walk-up clinic is risky though, Allan said.

“If we start moving to total walk-ins, then you really don’t know exactly who will come in, and it gets more difficult for everybody to plan,” he said.

A walk-in clinic might also be more inconvenient because patients may have longer wait times while doses are prepared or if the clinic is short-staffed, he said.

“But that may be a more convenient way, and we’ve got to decide the best way to manage that to prevent as much waste as possible," Allan said.

Vaccination rates are high, however, for people completing first doses, according to Dr. Watts of MetroHealth. At a MetroHealth clinic on Monday, about 98 percent of people made it to their second dose appointment, which she said is a great turnout.

“We never see a 2 percent no-show rate, for anything,” Watts said. “That to me says people really do want to come back for the second dose and are making the effort to get here.”

How does Northeast Ohio’s vaccination rate compare to the rest of the state?

Cuyahoga County, Summit County, Lake County, and Geauga County have a current vaccination rate of about 40 percent, which is higher than the statewide average of 38 percent. But when you get into the more rural counties of Northeast Ohio, the rate is lower than the average. Portage County is at 36 percent, and Ashtabula County is at 33 percent.

It’s possible those numbers won’t climb very quickly, because a recent poll from Axios-Ispos found that two out of every three Americans who haven’t received the coronavirus vaccine say they are unlikely to get the shot.