Opinion: Vaccination signs for businesses a badge of honor

Springfield-Greene County Health Department recently announced one of its newest initiatives to encourage vaccinations in the community to, surprise, mixed results on social media.

For those who care about the public safety of our community, the initiative is a no-brainer. The Health Department is calling on businesses who have at least a 70% vaccination status among employees to display yard signs designating the achievement. Contrary to what some say on social media, those are indeed achievements worthy of praise. They should be looked at as a badge of honor.

Unfortunately, some used the opportunity to express their disgust with the Health Department’s vaccination efforts, even saying the signs would help them in knowing which establishments not to go to.

That backward logic could only exist in this deeply divisive climate in which a dangerous and extremely deadly virus is somehow a political issue and conspiracy theories can carry as much credence with some people as valid, scientific research.

To those who believe scientists and doctors are best situated to lead our response to COVID-19, comments that are seemingly devoid of logic are perplexing and, frankly, angering.

It’s as if these people are rooting for COVID-19 to succeed in its quest to continue killing hundreds of thousands of Americans, which is just as crazy as it sounds.

But I digress.

The Health Department yard sign initiative is a fantastic way for businesses to show they are working to put an end to this pandemic and that they care about their employees’ and customers’ well-being.

The data show all sectors of the community must be involved in this effort. As of Sept. 22, Greene County still had not hit 50% of the eligible population being fully vaccinated, though it was very close. In the nation, 64% of eligible citizens are fully vaccinated, with more than 55% in Missouri as a whole among those eligible, according to the Health Department. None of these figures meets the reasonable 70% benchmark for the Health Department yard signs, and that’s troubling.

“In order for Greene County residents to be prepared for the next surge in COVID-19 cases, we must increase our vaccination rates,” said Dr. Nancy Yoon, chief medical officer of the Health Department, in a news release encouraging vaccinations. “Vaccines continue to show significant effectiveness at reducing serious illness, hospitalizations and death due to COVID-19.”

We all want the nightmare scenario of the last year and a half to become a distant memory, but that can’t happen until more people get on board with vaccines.

By showing you care about vaccinations, your business can help the community and, ultimately, the economy recover much more quickly.

Please consider participating in this great Health Department program and, better yet, encourage employees to vaccinate against this terrible virus.

Springfield Business Journal Digital Editor Geoff Pickle can be reached at gpickle@sbj.net.