Duquesne Mayor Nickole Nesby was unsurprised that her community had one of the lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates in Allegheny County — even she hasn’t gotten the shot.
Among the explanations for the low number of vaccinations in that city, she said, is a distrust in government among its mostly Black population and a lack of resources compared to other areas in the county.
As for her own reasoning, she is conflicted between telling people to get the shot if they are comfortable, and feeling hesitation as an individual who wants more information before taking the jab.
“I just feel as if it was a rush,” Ms. Nesby, who is Black, said of the vaccine’s development. “[...]Will I probably get it? Yes. At this time? No. I do encourage people in the community to get vaccinated.”
What it will take to convince her to get the jab, Ms. Nesby could not say, but she will read more reports as they come out. “I think I’m afraid of the unknown,” she said.
The numbers released by the Allegheny County Health Department on Wednesday show Duquesne’s ZIP code of 15110 has the county’s second-lowest vaccination rate per 10,000, with only 1,925 people at least partially vaccinated and an estimated 4,578 residents aged 10 and older.
The 15104 ZIP code — which includes Braddock, North Braddock and Rankin — was lowest on the list with 3,243 people at least halfway vaccinated. There are 7,721 people over 10 years old living in the area, according to the county.
Braddock Mayor Chardae Jones said the numbers came as little shock. Although there have been vaccine clinics in the area, they haven’t seen the turnout they’ve hoped for since their first event drew some 500 people.
“There’s definitely a lot of hesitancy,” she said. “I actually worked a couple vaccine clinics, and we don’t get the numbers that we want. It’s not that we’re not having vaccine clinics. It’s that people are not going to the vaccine clinics.”
At the center is a trust issue, Ms. Jones said, and people don’t understand or are intimidated by the science around the virus and the vaccine. One of the biggest hurdles will be convincing young people to get the vaccine, she said.
“I think the problem is that feeling of] invincibility, and the solution is to have one-on-ones,” she said. “And not as just government officials. Just as a concerned resident from person to person. And it has to be genuine, and it has to come from someone that the person respects.”
Ms. Nesby said the county’s vaccination data also shows that underserved minority communities are hardest hit by disparities in health care and information, noting that both Braddock and Duquesne have majority-Black populations. Both areas also ranked among those with the lowest Black vaccination rates.
Ranked fifth lowest on the list, below Pittsburgh’s Manchester and Central Business District neighborhoods, is McKeesport. With an estimated population of 19,027, only 8,298 of its residents have been at least partially vaccinated against COVID-19, the Health Department reported.
McKeesport Mayor Michael Cherepko said it has become more and more difficult to encourage the public to participate in vaccinations as the rollout has gone on despite efforts to bring the shot into the community.
“From day one, accessibility has been a priority when dealing with these vaccines,” Mr. Cherepko wrote in a statement. “We have been advocating and working tirelessly to bring clinics to McKeesport and to underserved communities throughout the Mon Valley, where transportation has proven to be a barrier.
“We will continue to welcome health care providers who wish to share this vaccine with area residents, and I would encourage everyone who is eligible to receive the vaccine to do just that.”
UPMC had a vaccination clinic Friday in McKeesport. It has one scheduled for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Unity Baptist Church on Jones Avenue in North Braddock.
With people over 65 years old hitting higher vaccination rates in Allegheny County compared to younger people, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, the elderly are more likely to be protected from the virus that largely ravaged older populations before the vaccine was available. Now Ms. Jones fears children who are ineligible for the shot will suffer the most from vaccine hesitancy.
“It seems like the children are going to suffer the most come fall and winter,” she said. “I know a lot of young people are around children, but they won’t get vaccinated, so in essence they’re just hurting the people that can’t get vaccinated.”
Mick Stinelli: mstinelli@post-gazette.com; 412-263-1869; and on Twitter: @MickStinelli
First Published: August 27, 2021, 7:36 p.m.
Updated: August 27, 2021, 7:36 p.m.
