A survey by the University of Kansas School of Medicine has found high vaccination rates in a seven-county area of south central Kansas. Results of the survey were presented Wednesday to Sedgwick County Commissioners.
Dr. Elizabeth Ablah with the School of Medicine said over 3,300 people responded to the survey in the seven-county region, with over 2,600 responses in Sedgwick County. Among the people responding to the survey, 80 percent reported being vaccinated in Sedgwick, Harvey, Marion and Butler counties. There were 60 percent of respondents in Sumner, Reno and Cowley counties who said they had been vaccinated.
In Sedgwick County, 14 percent of the respondents said they would not be vaccinated. The percentage was 38 percent in Reno County, 24 percent in Sumner County and 20 percent in Cowley County. Dr. Ablah said the respondents said they did not trust the vaccine or they had the perception that they could fight off the virus. She said the people who had not been vaccinated said they would be more likely to get the shot if they could walk-in to a clinic, or get the shot at their workplace.
Dr. Ablah said the survey was conducted in April and May, and it involved people 18 and older. She said because of the small sampling of residents, the results should be taken “with a grain of salt.” She said the survey results would help the county with outreach and vaccine clinic efforts, and it would also help county health officials in creating messages about the vaccine to reduce misinformation and build confidence in the vaccine.
