At a time when the number of people who want to get a covid-19 vaccine is dwindling, it was good to hear that we aren't giving up just yet.
As one doctor put it a few weeks ago, she has three types of patients: those who were eager to get the vaccine; those who were on the fence and might or might not be persuaded; and those who were never going to get it.
The latest surge of the delta variant of covid -- a surge that has crushed hospitals and the souls of health care workers, not to mention killed or seriously infected many younger people -- has probably pushed some of that middle crowd to get shots. And maybe even a few anti-vaxxers have had a change of mind on getting the vaccine.
But as time goes by and one-by-one, people come in to be vaccinated, the number of people who might possibly roll up their sleeves is getting smaller and smaller.
Enter the Arkansas Community Organizations and its partner, the Arkansas Community Institute. Those organizations held a press conference this week in Pine Bluff announcing they were going to launch an outreach effort in several counties -- Jefferson included -- in which people would go door to door and encourage residents to get vaccinated.
Such a plan was put forth by the White House during the summer, a move that gave some red-state politicians apoplexy.
"A South Carolinian's decision to get vaccinated is a personal one for them to make and not the government's," South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster wrote in a letter to health officials, according to a July Associated Press article. "Enticing, coercing, intimidating, mandating or pressuring anyone to take the vaccine is a bad policy which will deteriorate the public's trust and confidence in the State's vaccination efforts."
Yes, it's definitely up to the individual, but that doesn't mean the effort to inform the unvaccinated to get vaccinated is wrong, as another politician insinuated.
"The Biden Administration wants to knock on your door to see if you're vaccinated," tweeted Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan. "What's next? Knocking on your door to see if you own a gun?"
Now, if we can all take a deep breath and acknowledge that vaccines are good and that not getting one is a fine way to wind up on a ventilator in the intensive care unit or the morgue of your favorite hospital.
One of the local organizers, Demetrius Melvin said: "We have worked by making calls, going to doors and completing surveys concerning the need to urge people to get vaccinated against covid. We feel that this work on the campaign is necessary in order to [curb] the spread of covid, and as a result, it is a recipe to cut down on deaths from the virus. Also, our reasoning for this work is about the need to get out in the community to tell people the truth about vaccines."
Yes, the truth. That's a hard thing to come by with all the misinformation out there.
Another person, Neil Sealy, state director of the Arkansas Community Institute, said the group was battling the bad information as best it could.
"The recent state legislative session has only added to it," Sealy said. "We are hoping to speak with residents one on one in a positive and supportive way to break down some of the hesitation about taking the vaccine."
In what has now become a predictable rise and fall of covid seriousness, the delta variant seems to be waning. Perhaps, it will continue on a downward path, but no one knows.
The safer bet is to get as many people vaccinated against the deadly infection as possible and these groups are taking matters into their own hands. Here's hoping they are successful.