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May 4, 2021

Vaccine hesitancy causing more supply than demand

PHOTO | Pixabay.com
By Michelle Tuccitto Sullo

Area health care leaders say the demand for coronavirus vaccinations has dropped, a trend they attributed to anxiety about complications.

Dr. Thomas Balcezak, executive vice president and chief clinical officer for the Yale New Haven Health system, said Monday that the system has unfilled vaccination appointments.

At the peak of demand, the system was giving out some 50,000 doses a week, and that has dropped to around 25,000, according to Balcezak. 

With appointments going unfilled, the system is now accepting walk-ins.

“In the first phase, there was high enthusiasm, and low availability of vaccines,” Balcezak said. “Now, there is hesitancy, and more doses than people willing to get vaccinated. We would like to get the message out - these vaccines are effective and safe.” 

People have been particularly hesitant about the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, Balcezak said.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine was temporarily halted while health officials reviewed claims of blood clots associated with the shot, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has since allowed its use to resume.

“We have been trying to provide information about how low the risk is,” Balcezak said. “All three vaccines are available, but people are preferring Pfizer and Moderna over Johnson & Johnson.”

This afternoon (May 4), New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker and City Health Director Maritza Bond will join U.S Senator Richard Blumenthal at a walk-in vaccination clinic at the Taft Apartments,  265 College St. The clinic runs until 5 p.m. and is open to New Haven residents age 18 and older. 

According to city officials, they are seeing “increased evidence of vaccine hesitancy and other obstacles preventing residents from getting the vaccine, including a lack of transportation and access to or familiarity with technology.”

The city is working to address the problem through pop-up clinics, mass vaccination clinics, door-to-door campaigns, and vaccination of homebound residents.

Gov. Ned Lamont reported this week that Connecticut became the first state in the nation to fully vaccinate more than 50% of all adults over the age of 18. Approximately 69% of all adults in the state have received at least one dose.

Meanwhile, the number of patients with COVID-19 in the Yale New Haven Health system has dropped, according to CEO Marna P. Borgstrom.

As of Monday, there were 142 in-patients with the virus, including 70 at Yale New Haven Hospital, 46 at Bridgeport Hospital, 12 at Greenwich Hospital, 13 at Lawrence + Memorial Hospital in New London, and one at Westerly Hospital in Rhode Island.

“We have seen a turnaround here in Connecticut,” Balcezak said. “It has to be related to the percentage (of residents) fully vaccinated. As we get more citizens vaccinated, we will see fewer patients.”

Borgstrom reported that the system has been busy with non-COVID patients, though people have been coming in for care later. This means they are much sicker and requiring longer hospital stays, she said.

To help address that problem, the health system has been advocating for increased use of virtual doctor visits to make people feel safer. 

“It has provided an incredibly useful alternative,” Borgstrom said. “People have delayed care longer than they should have, and we think telehealth can help with that problem.”

Contact Michelle Tuccitto Sullo at msullo@newhavenbiz.com.

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