Are you interested in how the Amish population in the U. S. responded to the COVID vaccine in 2021? In this JayPod episode, host Josh Cohen spoke with Etown College student Alexander Waskiewicz, who recently completed a research project to try to understand how Old Order Amish populations reacted to news of the vaccine and how public health outreach efforts might be improved to better communicate with these populations. He completed his research in consultation with Etown College Professor of History and Anabaptist Studies, Dr. Steven Nolt. We discuss what Alex discovered as well as how some Old Order Amish communities tend to approach health care decisions and illness more broadly. It was a fascinating conversation on a topic that host Josh Cohen was eager to learn more about.
Alex is a junior at Etown, majoring in political science and public health. Dr. Nolt is a nationally recognized scholar on Anabaptist and Pietist Groups and has published many books on the Amish, Mennonites, and on Pennsylvania German history and culture. Some of his books include The Amish: A Concise Introduction and A History of the Amish.