Many new COVID-19 cases have been among people who are not vaccinated, and in Virginia, while at least 69% of adults have received at least one dose of the vaccine, health care workers say they’re still facing some obstacles when it comes to changing that.
A new poll shows nine out of 10 unvaccinated Virginians are still reluctant to get the shot.
“They have concerns that the vaccine could cause other health problems, doubts about the health threat posed by COVID-19, doubts about vaccines in general,” said Julian Walker, vice president of communications with the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association.
The hospital commissioned the poll, which surveyed 800 residents through Mason-Dixon Polling and Strategy.
What’s concerning, Walker said, is they’ve seen a jump from below 300 daily COVID cases in July to nearly 940 as of Wednesday.
He said their focus now is to continue encouraging residents to make responsible choices about their health.
“The fact that we’re seeing them now in the summer when people are presumably spending more time outdoors is something that’s a concerning trend that we’re watching,” he added.
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Looking for more information? D.C., Maryland and Virginia are each releasing more data every day. Visit their official sites here: Virginia | Maryland | D.C.