Terre Haute Tribune-Star
Guys may need extra nudges to get their COVID-19 vaccinations.
Nearly six out of every 10 fully vaccinated Hoosiers are women, according to the Indiana State Department of Health’s vaccination dashboard. The numbers vary only slightly for individual counties in Indiana. (In Hancock County, 59% of those who are fully vaccinated are women, according to the dashboard.)
National statistics offer hope the gender disparity will dissipate as more Americans schedule and follow through with vaccinations. Sixty-nine percent of U.S. adults say they either intend to get vaccinated or have already done so, a survey this month from the Pew Research Center shows. That marks an increase since November when 60% of Americans said they would get vaccinated.
The numbers of doses administered has risen steadily in Indiana since December. The state hit a peak March 18 when 57,776 doses went into Hoosiers’ arms. Those totals include doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which require two doses, and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, a single-dose medication.
Still, the state has not yet seen a sizeable increase in the percentage of men getting vaccination compared to women.
The disparity is stark. Figures from the ISDH show a significant disparity among the genders getting their COVID-19 vaccinations so far. Nationally, women account for 59% of fully vaccinated Americans.
There are explanations beyond simply concluding that a large segment of men are refusing to get vaccinated, although that is one reason for the lopsided turnout.
Public health officials prioritized older Hoosiers — who are more likely to be hospitalized or die from a COVID-19 infection — through the state’s age-based vaccination distribution plan. Women live five years longer on average than men, so a greater percentage of women were in the priority pool for the initial vaccinations.
Pew polls also show older Americans — which include more women — are more inclined to get vaccinated than younger age groups, which have closer gender numbers.
Statistically, there also is a reluctance toward preventive health care measures by men. Seventy-two percent of men said they would rather clean the bathroom, mow the lawn or do some other home chores than go to the doctor, a survey by the nonprofit Cleveland Clinic in Ohio showed.
Sadly, politics has influenced vaccination rates, too. Fifty-six percent of Republicans and GOP-leaning independents had been or intended to get vaccinated, compared to 83% of Democrats and Democrat-leaning independents, according to Pew’s February survey. Indiana is a red state, and some men may be delaying or bypassing vaccinations.
Coronavirus, unfortunately, does not dodge men because they have tidied up a restroom or voted for a particular party. Of Indiana’s 12,462 deaths from COVID-19, a majority were men — 6,356 — while 6,106 were women.
Vaccinations are not about politics or gender. The protection provided by the medicines benefits not only the persons vaccinated but also their community, state, nation and world. Vaccinations, paired with the wise public health practices, are our best chance to finally get this coronavirus under control and life back to normal. Vaccinations opened to Hoosiers 30 and older but will open up to all residents above age 16 by today.
So sign up and get vaccinated, everybody.
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