��������

KOCO’S DILLON RICHARDS HAS THE STORY. DILLON: TODAY, WE HEARD FROM AN E.R. NURSE AT INTEGRIS-GROVE, A RURAL OKLAHOMA HOSPITAL THAT’S BEEN HIT HARD WITH DELTA. SHE’S BEEN TAKING CARE OF COVID PATIENTS SINCE THE VERY BEGINNING, BUT DIDN’T WANT TO GET VACCINATED, UNTIL NOW. >> WHEN THE VACCINATION CAME OUT INITIALLY, I WAS VERY SKEPTICAL. DILLON: E.R. NURSE GRACE ZIEBA SAYS AT FIRST SHE SAYS SHE FELT LIKE SHE WAS YOUNG AND HEALTHY, D ANJUST DIDN’T NEED THE SHOT, THAT HAD ONLY JUST BEEN AUTHORIZED. IT SEEMED HER PATIENTS SHE SAW WERE OFTEN OLDER, OR HAD SERIOUS RISK FACTORS THAT SHE DIDN’T HAVE. >> I’M NOT A BIG ANTI-VAXXER. I AM VACCINATED IN EVERY OTHER AREA, BUT THIS WAS SOMETHING THAT I JUST WASN’T REALLY COMFORTABLE WITH. DILLON: BUT THEN CAME THE DELTA VARIANT. ZIEBA SHE SAYS SHE STARTED SEEING YOUNGER, HEALTHIER PEOPLE, GETTING SEVERELY SICK, AND SHE STARTED TALKING TO HER MANY COLLEAGUES WHO HAD GOTTEN THE SHOT. AND NOW. >> I’VE MADE THE DECISION THAT IT’S TIME. IT’S TIME TO BE VACCINATED. IT’S TIME. THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE AROUND ME EVERY DAY THAT HAVE BEEN VACCINATED AND THEY’RE STRONGER BECAUSE OF IT. DILLON: ZIEBA, NOT THE ONLY ONE. WITH DELTA RAGING, VACCINATIONS HAVE SURGED IN OUR STATE TO LEVELS NOT SEEN SINCE APRIL, WITH A SIMILAR TREND IN OTHER HARD-HIT STATES, AS PEOPLE WHO WERE HESITANT AT FIRST, NOW ROLLING UP THEIR SLEEVES. >> I’M NOT IMMUNE AS A 40-YEAR-OLD WOMAN WITH NO COMORBIDITIES, I’M NOT IMMUNE TO COVID. AND I’M NOT READY FOR IT TO GIVE ME THE FIGHT OF MY LIFE. DILLON: EVEN WITH THE SURGE IN VACCINATIONS, STILL, MORE THAN 42% OF ELIGIBLE OKLAHOMANS