Tag: vaccine hesitancy

Pro-vaccine messages touting safety & scary COVID stats can backfire, new study suggests

CHICAGO — The messages that worked to persuade unvaccinated people to roll up their sleeves this spring may not work anymore. That’s according to new survey research, which also finds some pro-vaccine messages can backfire and lead to greater hesitancy. The study was conducted by Civis Analytics — a Chicago-based technology company focused on data-driven

How Being A Chaplain Gave One Pastor A Sense Of Urgency In The COVID Fight

CHAMPAIGN — Keith Thomas wears many hats in the Champaign-Urbana community.  He’s a full-time pastor at Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church. And he’s also been on the frontlines throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, working as a hospital chaplain at OSF HealthCare. Thomas says the hardest situations he’s been in — as a local chaplain — have

As Trusted Voices, Farmers Could Be Key To Boosting Rural Vaccination Rates

When he first became eligible for the coronavirus vaccine in Illinois, Tom Arnold, 68, says he didn’t need any convincing. He raises cattle, hogs and chickens in Elizabeth, a small rural town in the northwest corner of the state. After all, who better to understand why herd immunity matters than a herdsman? “Being a livestock

A Third Of Champaign County Health Care Workers Declined The Vaccine, Health Officials Say

URBANA – Despite more Champaign County residents becoming eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, one-third of health care personnel in the county still aren’t vaccinated due to their own concerns about the vaccine, according to the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD).  Champaign County is currently in the middle of Phase 1b of its vaccine rollout