COVID-19 update from health department

Rebecca Burns, health officer for the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency, spoke about COVID-19 and immunizations during her annual presentation to St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday.

She said the agency administered about 40 COVID-19 immunizations at Project Connect, which took place earlier the same day. She said 40 may sound like a small number but in her mind, it was a notable figure.

Burns said the department has been seeing a decline in the number of individuals interested in receiving the COVID vaccine. A $50 gas card available at Tuesday’s Project Connect, however, was apparently a strong enticement, Burns said.

Commissioner Dan Czajkowski asked why the three counties under Burns’ jurisdiction are below the state average in terms of number of people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19.

Burns said she and agency officials have heard reasons for not getting the vaccination vary from reluctance due to religion, reluctance due to disbelief, to misinformation such as it causes infertility.