Pa. politicians walk fine line on vaccine endorsements to hesitant constituents

May 9—As vaccine rates slow with the threat of a new surge looming this fall, elected officials on both sides of the aisle are stepping forward to encourage constituents to get a covid-19 vaccine — even as they acknowledge this is a personal decision.

While experts say such efforts could be a double-edged sword at reelection time and will appeal to a limited group, they say every bit could help sway someone who is on the fence.

Pennsylvania Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward, R- Hempfield, spoke publicly last week about her decision to get vaccinated and encouraged others to take the leap, saying, "It can't hurt," and it could speed the return to normalcy. She said she's been careful to stress she does not support forced vaccination. Despite that caveat, she said her local office informed her it received some negative calls after the Tribune-Review reported on her comments.

U.S. Rep. John Joyce, a Blair County Republican who is a physician and a member of the GOP Doctor's Caucus, also notes he does not support vaccine passports or mandates. But Joyce enthusiastically endorsed the three vaccines deemed safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and said he and his wife have been vaccinated. In a public service video, he urged others to protect themselves and their loved ones with a vaccination.

Elected officials such as Ward and Joyce, who serve rural areas where there are strong pockets of vaccine hesitancy, might bring added credibility to the table as "trusted sources" on such issues simply because it could be a politically risky stance, said Michael Colaresi, a political scientist at the University of Pittsburgh.

"It's really important that they do this, and the fact that there is some potential cost to them makes them more credible," Colaresi said.

The potential political risks are apparent in polls that suggest conservative Republicans in rural districts such as Ward's in Westmoreland County and Joyce's, which stretches from Latrobe to Chambersburg, are among Americans most skeptical about the vaccine. Some simply have said they will not get it.

Colaresi said elected officials face a wave of disinformation that spread even before the vaccine was introduced and doubled down when the first one became available in record time, less than a year after the virus began to emerge as a lethal global pandemic.

While Ward's office heard complaints from some constituents, Joyce said his experience has been the opposite.

He said he's had nothing but positive responses to his decision to speak out on the issue. He sees educating the public about the vaccine and preparing to deal with the dangers of post-covid syndrome as his duty, both as a conservative Republican and a Johns Hopkins-educated physician.

"President Trump and his leadership allowed us to achieve safe and effective vaccines in record time. I said as soon as vaccine was available, I would get it. It is safe and effective, and I encourage everyone to do that," he said.

Like Ward, he frames the vaccine as a route back to normalcy and "our freedoms."

'Right thing to do'

Joe DiSarro, chairman of the political science department at Washington & Jefferson College and a member of the Republican State Committee, said every elected official on both sides of the aisle should be doing likewise.

"There is no question that it is a fine line they walk, but it is, to use Spike Lee's line, the right thing to do," DiSarro said. "There's no action in politics other than the symbolic action of going to a parade to visiting the elementary school that does not have someone resenting you. In this case, it could be for trying to interfere with their private decisions. But we have 555,000 dead and counting. Death is a powerful persuader.

"We are hardly out of this. We are in the eye of the storm. The hurricane is still out there. The politicians have to depoliticize this. I applaud any politicians who believe the health and safety of their constituents is important."

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Scranton, added several important Pittsburgh voices to his vaccine endorsement. On Friday, he gathered representatives of the Pirates, Steelers and Penguins — the black-and-gold royalty of the City of Champions — to call on fans to get the vaccine.

"You give us an opportunity to meet so many more people to get the vaccine, and I'm grateful for that help," Casey said as representatives of the three professional sports franchises joined him in urging those still hesitant to get vaccinated.

That kind of outreach, coupled with offering shots through walk-in clinics, mobile vaccine events and home visits to those who can't get out, will be key in reaching Gov. Tom Wolf's threshold of vaccinating 70% of the state's adults before lifting his mask mandate, said Acting Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Allison Beam. She said it will take community leaders, clergy, sports stars and other trusted figures to reach those still on the fence about the vaccine.

Casey said he respects that people might have questions about the vaccine and encouraged them to take their questions to their doctors. He said the vaccine is the only way out of the pandemic.

"It is to protect you, to protect your loved ones, and also to protect vulnerable people in your community," he said. "To reach herd immunity (estimated to be 80% to 90% of the population immune due to vaccination or prior infection), we've got to turbocharge our vaccinations across the country."

'Eternal optimist'

Dr. Amesh Adalja, a Pittsburgh-based infectious disease expert and senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, is among those who question whether that level of immunity is possible.

Yet, he sees value in officials such as Ward, Joyce and Casey endorsing the vaccine.

"I do think it is important. I think, when people see people they admire or they look to for expertise, it can nudge people who are on the fence. There is limited value to these things. But I think it is important to normalize vaccines as part of people's lives," Adalja said. "I think it will be very challenging to get to even 70%. But even if we don't get there, I think we have had an impact."

"In Israel, when they got to 40% they had a precipitous decline in hospitalizations and deaths," Adalja said, adding Israel now has virtually beaten the pandemic.

And as national vaccine levels in the U.S. approach 40%, it appears the country has uncoupled the virus from hospitalization and death, Adalja said.

Nonetheless, Joyce said he worries that the cost of post-covid syndrome is just now becoming apparent and said he remains committed to promoting vaccination.

"This remains an important vehicle for us getting through the pandemic," Joyce said. "I think we're going to catch up. I'm the eternal optimist."

Deb Erdley is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Deb at 724-850-1209, derdley@triblive.com or via Twitter .