While nearly half of urban Americans are fully vaccinated against Covid-19, the rural rate is much lower — less than four in 10. “We still have so far to go,” said the leaders of 30 farm and agribusiness groups on Wednesday in an open letter to their members that encouraged vaccinations to head off the Delta variant of the coronavirus.
“In farm country, we talk a lot about rolling up our sleeves to get the job done in our fields and pastures,” said the leaders of groups ranging from the American Farm Bureau Federation to the National Milk Producers Federation. “Now it is time that we join together and roll up our sleeves one more time to get this job done.”
Their letter cited “a deep sense of frustration” at the resistance to inoculations. Livestock producers routinely vaccinate their animals to prevent disease. “The need for shots remains, as does the need to share accurate information that addresses people’s concerns.”
Earlier this week, the FDA asked veterinarians and retailers to discourage their customers from buying ivermectin, a livestock dewormer, to treat or prevent Covid-19. The CDC says reports of ivermectin misuse or overdose are on the rise. Pharmacies handled 88,000 prescriptions for the medication during the week of Aug. 13, four times as many as in early July.
Nearly 293,000 rural Americans completed their Covid-19 vaccinations last week, the largest weekly increase since mid-July, according to the Daily Yonder.
“Currently, 38.3 percent of the total rural population is completely vaccinated against Covid-19,” it said. “That’s significantly lower than the metropolitan rate of 49.1 percent of the population.”
Massachusetts, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, New Hampshire, and Arizona have the highest rural vaccination rates, all above 58 percent. States with the lowest rural rates are Georgia, Virginia, West Virginia, and Alabama, all below 30 percent.
“The rise in cases as a result of the Delta variant only further highlights what’s been true all along: For a vaccination campaign to work, people must individually decide to protect themselves, their families, and their communities,” said the farm and agribusiness groups. “The pandemic’s toll on rural health and businesses, as well as our broader economy, won’t ebb until that happens.”
Signing the letter were groups representing corn, soybean, and rice growers; grain handlers; seed companies; ag retailers; pesticide makers; and fertilizer companies.