Daviess County Also Believes Everyone Had COVID Already

Similar to reports from northern Indiana and Lancaster County, the Amish in Daviess County, Indiana mostly seem to believe they have already had COVID-19, according to one of their own. And there is one further implication to that which you’ll see in this quote:

“The COVID-19 went through the community last year,” said spokesman for the Daviess County Amish community Mark Raber. “Most folks say they have already had it and don’t see any reason for getting a vaccination.”

I have said before that if the Amish don’t think there is a good reason to get the vaccine…then they won’t.

Quick aside: I guess Mark Raber is the de facto person who deals with media for the local Amish. He has the name “spokesman” here, but that’s more likely a description by the article writer, rather than an official title, which would be odd. We saw someone in a similar role in Geauga County last year.

Anyway, the data is backing up what Mark Raber says –  showing the stark divide between the Amish and non-Amish population in the area:

There is a map buried inside the Indiana State Department of Health website that shows where people in Daviess County have been or are in the process of being vaccinated against COVID-19.

The map has a line that runs north and south from the Greene County to the Pike County line. Those on the west side are in the yellow area, indicating there are significant numbers of people who have either been vaccinated or are in the process. The east side of that line is red, meaning very few people are seeking the vaccinations.

“It looks weird,” said Daviess County Public Health Nurse Kathy Sullender. “In Daviess County it looks like we have either all people trying to get vaccinated or no people. There aren’t even any splotches.”

For the most part, almost all of the area in red is in the Amish community. That appears to be because there is little demand for vaccines in that area.

Likewise, at least one recent study has shown that Amish are very unlikely to get the COVID vaccine.

Skipping a step

One other thing that I believe hurts any effort to convince Amish to vaccinate: the message that masks should still be worn, even if you’ve had the vaccine. Regardless of how compelling the arguments actually are for that practice, that idea is going to come across as nonsensical to some.

This Cleveland Clinic article gives 5 reasons why vaccinated people should wear masks. However they also provide the following example of measles…and I’m not sure this is going to help their argument:

In comparison, the measles vaccine is 97% effective after two doses. The vaccination program began in the U.S. in 1963, but the disease wasn’t considered eliminated until 2000!

I also keep seeing in these reports that people seem to think the big problem here is that the Amish with their limited buggy transport simply don’t have easy access to the vaccine…while looking past the part where the people you want to vaccinate have to be willing to actually take the vaccine. Like it’s just a matter of logistics.

The Daviess County Health Department likewise has offered to set up a clinic in the community so Amish can have easy access to all the vaccine they want. Here’s what Amish spokesman Mark Raber had to say about that:

“I don’t think anyone would gain anything if they were to do something out in the community.”

At this point I am quite doubtful you’ll see Amish people being convinced to vaccinate in significant numbers, no matter how many false headlines you publish to attempt to pressure them to do so.

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    21 Comments

    1. William Martin

      Daviess County Amish apparently don't watch CNN.

      I’m a Hoosier from a nearby county who makes regular trips to Daviess County (monthly or so). In 2020 after the Indiana lock down was lifted we got out of our COVID hysteric county (not one of the hard hit counties)and went to Daviess. We saw no Amish (nor Mennonites) wearing masks and it was largely business as usual. A few stores that saw English customers did limit the number of customers to one per family.

      I got a chance to talk to some Amish folks about the pandemic and they were very eager to discuss what was going on. There was little to no community spread at that time. As we talked it was clear that “panic” is not an Amish value. One Amishman told me in May that his church had just started meeting and that they were being careful, but were not afraid. His attitude was summed up in a sign you see frequently in the county, “Faith not Fear.”. Most of the few Daviess County COVID issues have been nursing home related and elderly related. The Amish know this. They’re not going to overreact as a result.

      Is Raber representing the Amish as a whole? I doubt it. If they think vaccinations are warranted they’ll get them. Right now it’s a non-issue to them. Note there are around 4500 Amish in the county (31K people in the whole county). As to the county health official’s comments, the eastern part of the county is VERY sparsely populated. A third of the population lives in the county seat, Washington (in the west). And most of the other Daviess County towns are in the west as well. So her comments were “Much Ado About Nothing”.

    2. Joni in Wisconsin

      No masks? No vaccinations? They “think” they’ve already had it?
      This is just plain foolish, and selfish besides.
      I follow the science and logic.I have loved shopping at the Amish farms and shops in my area.
      No more.

      1. Steve

        You won't be missed

        Your lemming like instincts really don’t go over big in the real world.

        1. Joni

          Actually, now that I’ve had my 2nd vax, I plan to go back to the freedom to shop anywhere I choose without getting anyone around me sick with a deadly disease. Do you reall
          y think 538,513 dead in the United States and 3,046,149 worldwide as of April 21, 2021 is a number that someone just made up to fool the race to defy God?!
          And yes, if I need a booster against the mutations that the virus grows because of the people who remain willfully ignorant and present their God-given bodies as hosts, I’ll be in line as soon as possible. I will do everything I can to protect the temple God provides for my soul as well as those He has provided for the souls around me.
          You can call me a lemming or any other name you choose but I believe God is guiding the science and to refuse it is to turn your back on His Will.

      2. Cowards! I never trust the cdc, fauci, or who on anything.

      3. KAM

        sorry

        yeah sorry, it is really all a bunch of b.s.–take heed from the Amish and allow sunlight, friendship and a good immune system to heal you

      4. Tom Paul

        Joni In Wisconsin.

        Read this article and give me an honest opinion of what you think.

        https://www.citizensjournal.us/18-reasons-i-wont-be-getting-a-covid-vaccine/

        1. Georgianne

          Read all sides

          I haven’t done full research on the facts within this article yet, but I do know that the author cited Joseph Mercola, who is a known anti-Vaxxer and conspiracy theorist and often makes misleading health claims. That right there would make me question the rest of the information.

          1. Tom Paul

            Read all sides

            I agree 100% Georgianne. I’m personally not getting the vaccine but the article is obviously a non-vaxxer. There’s misleading info on both sides but i did find it interesting on the history of the companies producing these vaccines. But, the guy brought out all the bad points and makes you think they have never done any good for mankind which I’m sure is not true. Either way, everybody has an opinion on the matter and they read and repeat whatever supports their opinion, myself included. (=

            1. Georgianne

              I know some people who have what I would consider legitimate reasons to either not get the vaccine or hold off on it. My daughter’s best friend had Covid, wound up with pneumonia, got appendicitis, and was rushed to the hospital. Pre-surgery it was determined she might possibly be pregnant. After surgery, she was tested specifically for being pregnant and it was positive. She determined, with her doctors, that she should hold off on the vaccine. However, she’s also careful around people, wears a mask, and routinely gets her antibody level checked. I think if you decide, for whatever reasons, to not get the vaccine, you also have to bear the responsibility that your decision does not impact other people’s health. Faith is a wonderful thing, but if, for instance, I get behind the wheel of the car I’m not going to assume God will keep me from crashing. I’m going to make sure I wear a seatbelt, drive safely, and pay attention.

              For some good you can read about polio. I remember being maybe 6 — around 1963 — and being brought up to the local school in my jammies. I ran around with all the other kids while my parents stood on a very very long line to get the polio vaccine, which was on a sugar cube back then. My parents, and the parents of all my friends, considered it the patriotic thing to do. I also remember I wished I could have another because, you know, sugar. The sugar cube went by the wayside and the vaccine became a shot at some point. The Covid vaccine has become too politicized, though, with too much misinformation circulating. For another viewpoint here’s a link: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-to-debunk-misinformation-about-covid-vaccines-and-masks/

              As a side note, I never get the flu shot. I rarely go see a doctor. But to help stop the pandemic, I considered getting the Covid vaccine the morally right thing to do.

      5. Jerry

        Science

        I have a friend who teaches at Penn State Hershey Medical School who has for years maintained the the following standard operating procedure (SOP) for science:
        “Question Everything!”
        My usual response to her is to cover my head with my hands and sing the 1980’s pop hit “She Blinded Me with Science”.

        I had Vivid in 2020 and this week received my second Moderna vaccine. Proof that vaccines (or any medication) can effect people differently is that after both shots I experienced 48 hours of insomnia. A side effect not often reported.

    3. Robert A Strikwerda

      The Parke County, Indiana Amish

      Do you have any information about vaccinations among the Amish in Parke County? Or how to find the mentioned Indiana State Department of Health website?

      Robert

      1. Indiana vaccination map

        I found something here: https://www.coronavirus.in.gov/vaccine/2680.htm

        On the map, if you switch the metric on the right from “Total Count” to “Per 100,000 residents” it gives you a gauge for comparing rates.

        I see Parke County is at a slightly lower rate than Daviess, about 21K per 100K residents, versus about 23K for Daviess.

        1. Robert A Strikwerda

          Thanks.

          Appreciate your effort to keep us well informed.

          Robert

    4. KAM

      Vaccines, masks, etc

      The beautiful thing is that God gave us a wonderful immune system and studies have shown that masks reduce our immunity and the vaccines are ineffective. Why would you want to receive a vaccine for a flu that has a 99.87% survival rate? Let God heal you from your colds and flu! Don’t fall for all the CDC garbate

      1. Georgianne

        Ignorance

        God may have given you a great immune system but he didn’t give a great one to everybody. By not getting the vaccine you could be putting other people’s lives at risk who come into contact with you. But anything I say isn’t going to change your mind. My own sister refuses to get the vaccine. But what I find quite hypocritical is that her children all got vaccinated for things like mumps, measles, rubella, etc., as required by law, in order to attend school. She never questioned that, yet the Covid vaccine is not ok. I can’t fathom her reasoning. The same thing that applies to getting vaccinated for those diseases applies to Covid. You get vaccinated so the disease stops spreading and stops killing people. I have a question for you. By following your logic, I assume that if you or a loved one got cancer you would refuse treatment because God would heal you? And since you don’t believe in wearing a mask to keep from spreading Covid to vulnerable people, then again, following your logic, you would refuse to wear a mask around a person being treated for cancer — or other grave illness — even though they have a suppressed immune system and catching even a cold from you could prove deadly? Covid is not a cold nor a flu, by the way.

        1. Jerry

          Amish values

          As you casually toss out the I-word I am reminded of how the Amish forbid the use of the that word. Also they don’t use the H word. I have found that people who toss those words out so causally are most often the victims of the true meaning. Your casual use disrespects anyone who has a different opinion. Are you a victim of your own rhetoric?

    5. Amanda Bates

      So smart!!

      The Amish are spot on regarding this issue!! Good for them to have the smarts to know better than to inject that poison in their bodies!

    6. J.O.B.

      I enjoyed the last paragraph….”no matter how many false headlines you publish to attempt to pressure them to do so.” (referring to the media pressuring the Amish to get vaccinated)

      At the end of the day. Covid entered the Amish community. The Amish, without vaccinations, are still here and doing well.

      As for those who push vaccinations. Looks like you’re going to be getting shots every year since the experts and makers of it are saying the vaccine doesn’t last that long. You’re gonna need more shots. Big money for those companies.

      In 1900, the lifespan for an Amish person was already over 70. The lifespan for a non-Amish person was only late 40’s.

      Maybe instead of telling them how to live, we should listen and observe. Maybe we could learn a thing or two from their example.

      1. Jerry

        Plus

        Plus the Amish don’t warehouse the elderly in nursing homes. I recently attended an Amish living estate auction in Milroy PA. He was 84 years old and looked 60. His 82 year wife was there as well but she was in a wheel chair. I guess having 9 children took a toll on her. I suspect their quality of life is unequal among us English.

        1. Jerry

          An added note

          The farm the Amish man owned was originally 140 acres. He divided the land years ago to provide land for three of his sons. The remaining 77 acres was given to his youngest boy and the father will continue to live in the homestead house. The material items were put ip for sale and the youngest had to bid/buy what he wanted to continue living there. That son is working an off the farm lumber processing job and not farming the land.