Shelby County Health Department Administrator Addresses Vaccine Hesitancy

The Shelby County Health Department has completely vaccinated 29 percent of the county, which currently ranks sixth in Missouri. Health Department Administrator Audrey Gough says that number could be higher if the current vaccines that are under Emergency Use Authorization are fully approved in the coming months.

Gough says Shelby County’s strategy to address vaccine refusal or hesitancy is educating people that the COVID-19 vaccine developments are far from a hurry-up.

Gough says because our culture involves being around people, viruses tend to spread easier. She says because we had no treatment for COVID-19 when it arrived, that’s why mitigations were put in place.