Did you get the COVID vaccine? Columbus residents share thoughts on getting the shot (or not)
Coronavirus vaccines became available to some Georgians just over a year ago, but less than half of Muscogee County residents are fully inoculated.
Residents who spoke with the Ledger-Enquirer this week represented that slow pace, with most expressing some hesitation about getting the shot and possible side effects.
Around 45% of Columbus residents have received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine and 40% are fully vaccinated. Of fully vaccinated people, 26% have received a booster shot. That represents about 10% of the local population.
Dwaylene Anthony, a Columbus businesswoman, said she was terrified of COVID-19 at the start of the pandemic. She has chosen not to get the shot due to underlying health issues, Anthony said, and is against any sort of vaccine mandate.
A federal vaccine mandate for private employers with at least 100 employees is held up in courts. However, some local residents may already be impacted by mandates as healthcare providers such as Piedmont Healthcare and the Armed Forces implemented mandates after the Food and Drug Administration approved the Pfizer vaccine.
Anthony said she began having seizures in 2020 after having no previous health problems. She worries that others may have health problems that aren’t apparent, and the vaccine could cause unanticipated problems.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, COVID-19 vaccine may be administered to most people with underlying medical conditions. The CDC recommends people speak to their healthcare providers if they have questions or concerns.
Bobby Jackson, 68, said he got vaccinated about two months ago. Sifting through misinformation about the shot was a roadblock in his decision making, he said. He encourages anyone thinking about getting vaccinated to educate themselves.
Gesturing to her grandmother, Alyssa Grant, 23, said the decision to get vaccinated wasn’t just about her own immune system, but high-risk family members in her household. Despite feeling initially skeptical, she’d rather “be safe than sorry.”
“You don’t know what you’re putting in your body half the time anyways,” Grant said. “Yeah, they did it kind of fast, but when you’re younger you don’t know what type of vaccines you’re getting for school or sports. But you also don’t know what you’re eating at fast food places.”
Columbus resident Jaime Aviles, 48, is in law enforcement. He was glad when the vaccine was first announced and said getting vaccinated seemed like the right thing to do.
“I look at it like a flu shot or any other shot we take,” Aviles said. “I was in the military for 10 years, and certain shots you had to take, you just take them.”
Having moved to Fort Benning as the vaccine rollout began early last year, Lauren Flynn, 24, said she was at first wary of the new vaccine, but felt it was a step towards normalcy.
Despite her hesitancy, Flynn said she ultimately chose to get vaccinated for herself and her family.
“I have people (around me) that are a little more susceptible to the virus,” she said. “So, I’m just being able to be around them again and not have to worry about getting them sick.”
Last month, the Food and Drug Administration approved the Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5-12. The approval creates a new decision for Columbus parents: will they vaccinate their younger children?
Two parents weighing those option are Aimee Goodell and Ashleigh Link, who meet for play dates with their toddlers at a Columbus park. Link said balancing her childrens’ mental health with COVID-19 precautions is the priority, and they find spaces like playgrounds to fill a social need.
Link’s children are too young to be vaccinated, but she plans to get them the shot when they are eligible. Goodell said she feels more cautious about getting her children vaccinated since it is still so new.
Link said she got vaccinated because she was in Europe for most of the pandemic, and the vaccine was the way to see her family again. It also freed up her ability to travel.
As for Goodell, she said she’s waiting until she’s no longer breastfeeding to get vaccinated.
Hope Renwick, who came to the Columbus area through military affiliation, said the pandemic has created a lot of fear over the past two years. Although she has not been afraid of the virus, she continues to wear a mask in public spaces and understands local leaders have had to make hard decisions.
Renwick would not say whether she received the vaccine, but believes the shot helped alleviate fear in the community.
“People tend to feel better with the knowledge that there is a remedy,” she said.
Public health officials continue encouraging residents to get vaccinated in order to limit the spread of new variants, such as omicron.
Here are the latest COVID-19 trends in Muscogee County, according to data from the Georgia Department of Public Health.
Muscogee County
Muscogee County reported a two-week case rate of 117 cases per 100,000 people as of Dec. 16. There were 225 coronavirus cases reported in Muscogee County in the last two weeks.
The seven-day moving average on Dec. 16 was 11.6 cases. The seven-day moving average is found by taking the number of cases reported in the last seven days, adding them up and then dividing by seven.
Over the last week, 1,684 new viral tests were reported, and Muscogee County’s test positivity rate for the past two weeks is 5.9%.
There are 88,911 residents (45%) in Muscogee County who have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and 79,044 (40%) are fully vaccinated.
Georgia update
Total cases: 1,303,549 (+9,406 reported since Dec. 10). The number of new cases reported in a day may not match the difference in total cases over a 24-hour period. This occurs because previously reported cases may be removed as duplicate reports are corrected. An older confirmed case may also be reclassified as additional information is collected during an investigation.
Vaccination Rate: 59% of Georgians have received at least one dose, while 52% are fully vaccinated.
Total deaths: 26,007 (+102 deaths since Dec. 10). It’s important to note that these numbers indicate when deaths are reported to the Georgia Department of Public Health. It does not reflect when these deaths occurred.
Positivity rate for Georgia today: 10.6%. The rate over the past two weeks is 5.2% positive.
Current COVID hospitalizations: 148 hospitalizations reported on Dec. 16.
More information about COVID-19 data in Georgia can be found on DPH’s COVID-19 status website.
This story was originally published December 18, 2021 at 8:00 AM.
