ST. LOUIS — When Roshonda Scaife rolled up her sleeve for the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine on Wednesday, she turned away, held a friend's hand, and closed her eyes.
"I need someone to hold my hand and just talk me through it like '1-2-3, go," Scaife said of her experience.
She describes the shot as "a little pinch" with minor arm soreness, well worth it for this caregiver with asthma. Now she hopes her coworkers will opt-in too for their own safety and for the safety of their residents.
"Being around these senior citizens, I think it should be mandatory," she said. "We can get them sick. They can get us sick. But we're the ones coming in and out of the [senior living] house. So I think it should be mandatory."
At Scaife's workplace, Dolan Memory Care Homes, owner Tim Dolan says 100% of residents have accepted the vaccine. The rate plummets among staff members.
"I'd say if I got 40% [participation] that'd be good," Dolan said.
About 95% of Dolan's care staff is Black or African American, a group the Kaiser Family Foundation ranks among one of the least likely demographics to accept the vaccine.
A history of medical testing without consent and inadequate access to health care has built distrust. Now Dolan says he's doing what he can to address those concerns, rolling up his own sleeve to the vaccine and ease fears.
Another way to address vaccine reluctance is to share stories about the experience.
"Oh yes, I received multiple text messages last night, people emailing me, and in my office just this morning just saying, 'how is it? How do you feel? Have you noticed any fatigue?" social worker Taylor Kennedy, LMSW said.
Kennedy said she was initially vaccine-hesitant --"mainly about the unknowns" -- but the process lined up with what she was told to expect.
"Honestly, I felt the shot less than my flu shot," Kennedy said.
As the Dolan facilities prepare for more vaccine clinics, Tim Dolan hopes their staff will learn from each other's experiences, raising their participation rate.
"For me, ya girl got it," Scaife said with a laugh.
The Associated Press reports that there have been no signs of widespread severe side effects from the COVID-19 vaccine. Scientists say the drugs have been rigorously tested on tens of thousands of people and vetted by independent experts.
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