It’s here–the vaccine(s) that could eventually get us back to living relatively normal lives in time. But so many people don’t trust it.
I won’t lie. I’m one that was hoping that all the appropriate steps were taken. I’m very pro-vaccine, and I knew that we couldn’t take any missteps that would give the public a real reason to mistrust vaccinations. However, after more education, I understand that there is no reason to mistrust how quickly this vaccine came into being–it’s fabulous that we can stand on the shoulders of the scientists that came before us. And these scientists were able to jump a bunch of red tape and received lots of funding that made this incredibly fast timing possible. It’s not that they skipped the science–it’s that they skipped the bureaucracy. Great!!
I ultimately took the vaccine for one reason–because the only way we stop being ravaged by the craziness of this virus is that we reach herd immunity. That comes either by enough people being vaccinated, or enough people being naturally infected–which would mean a lot of death, and a lot of lives changed for the worse. I DO NOT want the latter, and IDSA spoke out against a campaign for this type of thing here. So vaccine it is.
Mistrust of Black America
So, with good reason, Black people don’t really trust the health care establishment. Okay. I get it. I know what they did to us. I know what they do to us. I have a front row seat on a daily basis. But folks. They really are really trying with this one. They tried hard to get us enrolled in the studies so they would know how it affected us. They are trying hard to make sure that it gets to our population when it gets rolled out. AND–in case you didn’t know:
This is Dr. Kizzmekia Shanta Corbett. She is the one of the people behind this vaccine, and look–she’s blackity black–like–her name couldn’t be more us–and I’m here for it! Her nickname is “Kizzy” y’all! And despite all this, Black people still really don’t trust this vaccine.
This is the thing: We are being disproportionately affected by COVID-19–you know why? Because of the very things that we are right about–the institutional racism that causes our populations to be disproportionately affected by obesity and diabetes which are risk factors for severe COVID, because of factors which cause us to have less access to healthcare, and factors that show that even once we have access, the establishment tends to treat us less effectively. All that is true.
So yeah. You know what’s going to happen if we don’t get vaccinated, all the REAL institutional racism that’s causing us to die disproportionately of COVID-19 is going to keep being a thing. I’m thinking it’s best to go with the solution to this problem, and fight to get the same therapy everyone else is getting.
More Questions?
Okay, so you want more answers? There’s an amazing woman on Facebook, Friendly Neighbor, Epidemiologist, who has broken down a lot of these concepts. In one of my favorite posts, she not only compares the two vaccines, but she also links explanations to many FAQs about the vaccines.
Wonder how these mRNA vaccines work?
Well there is an awesome post from a 9 year-old that is great at explaining how this works. Please click the image for the original Facebook post–because her mom totally deserves credit for raising such an amazing kid!
If you’re one of the lucky/blessed few who get to be vaccinated first, remember that you should continue to wear your masks and socially distance. We will not know if people who are vaccinated are able to unknowingly spread the virus for some time, so it’s important to continue safety measures to protect those who are unvaccinated until we are able to reach mass levels of vaccination.
There are very few contraindications to (or absolute reasons not to receive) the vaccine. Previous allergic responses to food, medications, etc. should be reported so that you can be observed differently. Previous allergic reactions to a vaccination should be discussed with your physician, and you may decide to wait until more vaccines have been given–but you may decide to proceed–that is up to you and your physician or the institution administering the vaccine, and I’ve seen people with previous allergic reactions to other vaccines do well with this vaccine.
Ultimately–regardless–it’s an intensely personal decision. However, this intensely personal decision does indeed affect public health, so don’t take it lightly. Do your research, from reputable sources. Don’t feed into the media that’s designed to scare you for no reason. For instance, I keep seeing this article saying some COVID-19 vaccines could increase the risk of HIV infections. No one bothers to point out that the ones in question are still in trial phase, and are neither of the two vaccines now approved for Emergency Use Authorization in the US. It’s important to read and read well my friends.
Have you seen this one about the physician who died a few weeks after receiving the vaccine? People keep posting as if it is definitely connected to the vaccine. First of all, it hasn’t been. Second of all, even if we connect it to the vaccine, it will be the first death connected to vaccination. That is literally 1 death in 5-6 million vaccinated people. Compared to a death rate of 1% in COVID, and a morbidity rate that is likely 30-50%–if not higher. (So that you understand what that looks like that would mean that 50,000-60,000 people would be dead from the vaccine for it to be equally deadly). Again, in medicine, we are discussing risk vs benefit. The vaccine is FAR SAFER than the disease.
Be safe. Wear your masks. Wash your hands. Socially distance. And yes, I’ll ask, if you can, please, be vaccinated.