John Bayless, a community health worker with Rural Health Projects Inc., has been given the Governor’s Council for Workforce and Economic Development Success Story award.
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Rural areas are considered “critical populations” according to Oklahoma’s vaccine plan. But with a history of low vaccination rates and misinformation, it’s unclear how likely people in rural communities will get vaccinated.
Randy Hubbach, an associate professor of rural health at Oklahoma State University, said flu vaccinations are lower in rural communities many counties in Oklahoma are under 40%.
“The flu vaccine is widely available. It s well known scientifically. We understand the precautions that need to be taken, who should get vaccinated and who should not,” Hubbach said. “So this is a tried and true vaccine. And so this should be a good indicator of what we would expect with COVID.”