Apr 21, 2021 3 min read

All three Washington County commissioners have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or received one dose of the drug as the region still has many residents who are declining the vaccines.

“I support the vaccine,” said Washington County Commission Chairwoman Diana Irey Vaughan, who is due to receive her second dose Wednesday. “It’s a precautionary step just as I get the influenza vaccine every year.”

Commissioner Larry Maggi has been fully vaccinated since he participated in the Pfizer clinical trials in Ohio.

Commissioner Nick Sherman received his first dose of the Moderna vaccine in late March and felt ill from it for about three days. His family doctor theorized that the side effects from the first dose could be due to the fact that Sherman contracted COVID-19 in late October.

“Although it was an unpleasant experience, it didn’t require medical attention,” said Sherman, who had a fever and later felt lethargic.

Sherman isn’t deterred by the adverse reaction, however, and plans to get his second dose next week, while still encouraging others to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

“As someone who had a bad reaction to it, it’s still worth it to get vaccinated. I believe in herd immunity and getting the economy back moving as quickly as possible,” Sherman said, adding that he would like to get grade school students back into the classroom five days a week. “The faster we all can get vaccinated, the faster we can get back to normal.”

Acting state Health Secretary Alison Beam said Tuesday that some people are declining the vaccine as a political statement. There have been other reports that people fear the drug because they falsely believe the federal government is using the vaccines to track their lives.

Beam said the Health Department is working to get information to local leaders about the science behind the drugs and to give them correct information about their safety.

Irey Vaughan said the Washington County Chamber of Commerce has teamed up with Mon Valley Hospital and Washington Health System on an advertising campaign urging the public to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

The ads show four adults wearing face masks and bandages covering their upper arm where they received a jab of the vaccine. The ads carry the phrases, “Don’t Wait Vaccinate,” or “Let’s Roll Up Our Sleeves and End the Pandemic.”

Meanwhile, the Washington County Prison Board approved offering cash incentives without tapping into taxpayer money to inmates in the county jail who agree to be vaccinated.

As of Tuesday, 124 of the jail’s 278 inmates have accepted the offer of $25 per dose, money that was deposited into their commissary accounts from the inmate trust fund, Warden Jeffrey Fewell said.

Washington Health System administered doses at the jail Tuesday.

Beam also announced Tuesday that residents who qualify can receive significant savings via the federal American Rescue Plan under the state’s health care marketplace known as Pennie. She said there is a critical need for health care since many have lost their employer-sponsored coverage because of the pandemic. Visit pennie.com for more information.

The state announced 4,577 new virus cases Tuesday, taking the cumulative total to 1,113,868 since COVID-19 was first confirmed in Pennsylvania in March 2020.

The state announced 77 new virus deaths, including one in Fayette County.

Washington County added 70 new cases, bringing its total to 16,418. Greene County added a dozen new cases to its total that climbed to 3,094. Fayette saw 57 new cases added to its total of 12,075.