There have been calls for local COVID-19 vaccine advocacy ever since the Warren County Commissioners rejected an idea to fund a promotional campaign via American Rescue Plan funds.

Such a campaign is now underway.

A group of local government, hospital and community officials have launched the COVID-19 Vaccine Awareness Campaign which “aims at increasing vaccine awareness, combatting misinformation, and expanding utilization of COVID-19 vaccines,” according to a statement.

The discussion kicked off with a meeting on Dec. 2 and the campaign is anticipated to include “multiple grassroots components including sharing print materials, social media advertisements, radio and newspaper advertising, and creating channels for local leaders in the public and private sectors to endorse vaccination.”

“We believe very strongly that local voices need to carry the message conveying the fact that the vaccine is safe and effective,” Warren County Commissioner Jeff Eggleston said, “and we need a higher vaccination rate if we’re going to get past this pandemic.”

Eggleston said an “important piece” of that meeting was an update from Warren General Hospital — Chief Nursing Officer Joe Akif and CEO Rick Allen.

“Over 90% of the inpatients for COVID issues are unvaccinated,” Akif said in the statement. “We are running out of space, and we are working on getting more ventilators.”

“We are in a critical state right now,” Allen added. “For serious cases there’s practically nowhere else to go. The other hospitals in the region are also completely maxed out.”

The goal of the effort is to fundraise and promote awareness — a website is set to launch today at WarrenVax.com, “which will be the hub for vaccine information and networking. A component of that site will be fundraising, as the group gathers resources for the effort,” the statement said.

“We have raised over $3,500 already for the promotion and we haven’t actually launched the fundraising campaign yet, which is great,” Eggleston detailed. “We are looking to raise $5,000 to $10,000 to promote vaccination in the county and I feel confident we can. We’ve also applied for and feel confident we’re going to get a grant from DCED for vaccine promotion.”

The group said an estimated 41 percent of the county is fully vaccinated, “which is one of the lowest rates in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is also estimated that Warren County has one of the highest rates of death per capita from the coronavirus and in the past week the county has logged the highest transmission rate in the state.”

“We’re going to do everything we can to share the facts, the science, and include testimonials relevant to this cause,” WGH Medical Director Dr. Keith Price said. “As long as we are at such a low vaccination rate, we will be vulnerable to the virus and its variants, and more people will be harmed by it.”

The advertising will commence the week of Dec. 10.

Those who want to donate to support the effort can go to WarrenVAX.com and donate online or they can mail Warren County Development Association, C/O WarrenVAX.com, 308 Market Street, Warren, Pa., 16365.

Anyone with questions is asked to email info@warrenvax.com or call Commissioner Eggleston at (814) 584-2203.

“Something needs to be done,” Jim Decker, president/CEO of the WCCBI explained, the parent of the WCDA, said. “Our medical system is stressed and with a low vaccination rate we are vulnerable to surges.”