Gov. Cox, come home! At the high school you attended here in Sanpete County, 30% of students believe the COVID vaccine is a hoax, according to a recent survey by the school’s student newspaper (North Sanpete Times, Oct. 19). The survey may not have been expertly done, but it is still staggering that so many of our local high school students don’t believe in the vaccine.
Sadly, it isn’t surprising.
The vaccination rate for those 12 and older in Sanpete County, your home, is 40% -- tied for worst in the state with neighboring Juab County -- compared with 67.4% statewide (The New York Times, Oct. 27, and Utah state coronavirus dashboard, Oct. 27). Meanwhile, the number of COVID cases and deaths continues to mount. Since the pandemic began, 17.2 percent of Sanpeters reportedly have contracted COVID -- 3rd highest among Utah counties (The New York Times, Oct. 28.). And the Sanpete case count is surely low since we know from friends and acquaintances here that not everyone who contracted covid got tested or counted. Even more heartbreaking is the fact that a growing number of Sanpeters are needlessly dying from COVID.
In the 6 months since vaccines became widely available to Utah adults, about as many Sanpeters have succumbed to COVID as did in the preceding 12 months. Eight new Sanpete deaths have been reported in October (as of Oct.28) (The New York Times).
Despite this toll, we see little evidence of state or local officials pressing the case for vaccinations in rural areas other than public service ads on TV. There are billboards lining U.S. 89 urging flu shots and opioid addiction treatment but none about COVID vaccinations. The county newspaper reports entreaties by local Intermountain Healthcare doctors but none by local officials.
Gov. Cox, you ran in part on a pledge to give rural Utah the attention it deserves. One acid test of that pledge is how well state government is meeting the challenge of overcoming COVID misinformation and vaccine reluctance. We strongly urge you to get back in your campaign bus and, with the help of the state government you now lead, do the admittedly hard work of changing hearts and minds about a disease that has already sickened and killed too many of your rural neighbors.
Nancy and Jim Ketcham-Colwill, Mt. Pleasant
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