Local Campaign Encourages Choice with Vaccine Education
Richland County, Ohio – Through the local CountOnMeRC campaign, Richland County residents are encouraged to make an informed choice about COVID-19 vaccination. COVID-19 vaccinations are available to anyone over the age of 12 and are readily available throughout Richland County.
As of June 10, the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) reported 34.02% of Richland County residents had started the vaccination. That figure is more than 10% lower than the state’s average of 46.40%.
“There is a lot of misinformation circulating about the COVID-19 vaccine,” said Richland Public Health’s Dr. Julie Chaya, who is leading the CountOnMeRC collaboration. “This educational campaign is focused on facts and evidence-based science. We’re giving people the knowledge they need to make an informed decision about vaccination, as it is a personal choice.”
Through radio features, social media, and other targeted messaging, several local residents share why they chose to vaccinate against COVID-19. The campaign also addresses common concerns regarding the COVID-19 vaccine.
“We want people to know the vaccine is safe, it wasn’t rushed, it doesn’t contain the virus, and it is highly effective,” Chaya explained. “We want people to know the vaccine protects them and those in our community who can’t get a vaccine. Higher vaccination rates make it harder for the virus to spread and replicate, preventing mutations that cause more transmissible and dangerous variants. These variants pose the greatest threat to the progress we have made.”
A local grassroots group of volunteers have joined the initial CountOnMeRC collaboration which includes Richland Public Health, Destination Mansfield-Richland County, DRM Productions, Integrity Project Management, OhioHealth, Richland Area Chamber & Economic Development, and the Richland County Foundation.
This is the second unified messaging campaign the collaboration has spearheaded to bolster Richland County’s response to the pandemic. The initial CountOnMeRC campaign was launched in late 2020 to encourage public health prevention measures. At the time, Richland County was experiencing the highest level of exposure and spread as measured by the Ohio Public Health Advisory System.
This current campaign is fully funded through the City of Mansfield, Richland County Commissioners, Destination Mansfield-Richland County, Richland Area Chamber & Economic Development, and Richland Public Health. For more information about COVID-19 vaccinations, visit www.CountOnMeRC.org.