The vaccination drive is lagging far behind in many Amish communities across the United States, following a wave of virus outbreaks that swept through them during the past year. In Ohio’s Holmes County, home to the nation’s largest concentration of Amish, just 14 percent of the county’s overall population is fully vaccinated.
While their religious beliefs don’t forbid them to get vaccines, the Amish are generally less likely to be vaccinated for preventable diseases such as measles and whooping cough. Though vaccine acceptance varies by church district, the Amish often rely on family tradition and advice from church leaders, and a core part of their Christian faith is accepting God’s will in times of illness or death.
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Amish community vaccine rates trail behind as they put faith in God s will and herd immunity Share Updated: 4:33 PM EDT Jun 28, 2021 By JOHN SEEWER, Associated Press
Amish community vaccine rates trail behind as they put faith in God s will and herd immunity Share Updated: 4:33 PM EDT Jun 28, 2021
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Show Transcript TO THIS COMMUNITY. SUSAN: AMISH AND PLAIN PEOPLE NUMBER ABOUT 25,000 IN LANCASTER COUNTY. HEALTH PROVIDERS ARE HOPING MANY OF THEM WILL STEP UP AND GET THE COVID-19 VACCINE, BUT IT COULD BE A CHALLENGE. WE FOUND IN GENERAL THE PLA COMMUNITIES ARE LESS LIKELY, A LITTLE BIT MORE HESITANT TO THINK ABOUT PREVENTION, LESS LIKELY TO GET ANY TYPE OF VACCINE. SUSAN: LGH IS NOW HOLDING VACCINATION CLINICS AT THE FULTON FIRE COMPANY IN PEACH BOTTOM AND AT A SITE IN PARADISE, AREAS WITH LARGE AMISH POPULATIONS. THAT WASN’T LOST ON JANE KEY GOT HER SHOT HERE. SHE I THOUGHT THAT WAS WHY THEY PUT IT IN
By JOHN SEEWER | Associated Press Jun 28, 2021
6 hrs ago
When health care leaders in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country began laying out a strategy to distribute COVID-19 vaccines, they knew it would be a tough sell with the Amish, who tend to be wary of preventive shots and government intervention.
Early on, they posted flyers at farm supply stores and at auctions where the Amish sell handmade furniture and quilts. They sought advice from members of the deeply religious and conservative sect, who told them not to be pushy. And they asked three newspapers widely read by the Amish to publish ads promoting the vaccine. Two refused.