Despite constant urges of health professionals to get the coronavirus vaccine, less Americans are open to taking it than you may think. Unfortunately, recent polls show that as many as 20% of Americans are not planning on receiving the coronavirus vaccine unless it is absolutely required (Galewitz). Additionally, 31% of Americans want to wait and see how it’s working before receiving it. These are dangerous and surprising numbers. Vaccinating as many people as possible and as soon as possible is crucial to saving lives and beating this pandemic. Resistance of this magnitude is concerning and dangerous. All Americans need to get vaccinated and trust the science behind it.

The coronavirus pandemic has been active for over a year now and has killed over 519,000 people in the United States alone. If not for nationwide lockdowns, this number could have been a lot higher. For comparison, influenza was only responsible for 22,000 deaths in the United States in the year 2019 (CDC). This low number has a lot to do with the fact that many people are diligent about getting their flu shots every year. Aside from the flu, many schools require that children be vaccinated for a variety of viruses. These safe vaccines have become common procedure and are crucial to saving lives and preventing uncontrollable outbursts of sickness in the past. Vaccines and procedures for their approval has been trusted for ages. So, how is the coronavirus vaccine any different? Well, it isn’t, and people should leave their unscientific arguments for refusal at the door.

Why aren’t more Americans getting vaccinated? It is nothing short of a miracle that scientists have been able to produce coronavirus vaccines this quickly. Despite this, vaccine skepticism is completely unnecessary. The United States Food and Drug Administration has rigorous scientific and regulatory processes for approving vaccines. It is arguably the strictest and most methodical drug approval process in the world, and they took no shortcuts when testing the COVID-19 vaccine. The coronavirus vaccine was (and still is) constantly tested by professional scientists and doctors to ensure safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy (Johns Hopkins Medicine). These vaccines are undergoing many types of rigorous active and passive surveillance (Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research). No coronavirus vaccine can pass phases 1, 2, or 3 of FDA trials without being deemed safe. These are the same rules and regulations that have saved lives for decades.

The coronavirus vaccine is backed by diligent research and has passed some of the most difficult safety requirements on earth. A lot of the skepticism we see comes from the worry of dangerous side effects even despite FDA approval. While this is something to consider, the types of side effects that may come from the vaccinate are not dangerous and definitely not worth refusing it. The Center for Disease Control states that side effects may include fever, chills, tiredness, and headache (CDC). These are very minuscule side effects, and I think we can all agree that each one is worth the opportunity to save American lives. The CDC goes on to say that these side effects are normal and indicates that the vaccine is working. Data from the US Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) shows that only about 372 out of every million doses of the vaccine leads to non-serious reactions (Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System). This number is incredibly small.

Many Americans are also concerned about the possible long term side effects of the vaccine. Although the scientific method doesn’t permit scientists to say there are no long-term side effects, there is strong evidence that mRNA vaccines won’t cause long term harm (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia). Vaccine history shows us that delayed effects can occur, but those effects only tend to happen within two months of receiving the vaccine. Although the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine is new, mRNA vaccines against HIV, rabies, Zika and flu have been extensively studied in the past. This has provided us with more information on the safety of mRNA vaccines. Additionally, mRNA is highly regulated in the body, so that no more is produced than needed. Because of this, the risk for severe reaction to mRNA vaccines is reduced (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia). COVID-19 hasn’t been around long enough to make strict claims against the long-term effects of its vaccine, but it is important to keep in mind that there is much evidence to support its long-term safety. The potential risks greatly outweigh the rewards.

the degree of skepticism of the coronavirus vaccine we see today is unacceptable and will cause more people to die if it’s not remedied. So, what can you do as a common citizen to help the issue? We need people to educate others on the importance of getting the COVID-19 vaccine. We all need to be better at telling our friends and family how safe the vaccine really is, and that they should not be deterred by rumors or misinformation campaigns against vaccination. It is vital that we work to clear up any confusion on the real risks and side effects by openly having these conversations with loved ones. Perhaps the most important thing you can do is go out and get the vaccine as soon as you can. After all, vaccines do not save lives. Vaccinations do.

Sources:

Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. (n.d.). COVID-19 vaccine SAFETY SURVEILLANCE. Retrieved March 05, 2021, from https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/safety-availability-biologics/covid-19-vaccine-safety-surveillance

The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. (2021, February 02). Feature article: Long-term side effects of covid-19 vaccine? What we know. Retrieved March 05, 2021, from https://www.chop.edu/news/long-term-side-effects-covid-19-vaccine

Frequently asked questions about covid-19 vaccination. (n.d.). Retrieved March 05, 2021, from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/faq.html#:~:text=After%20getting%20vaccinated%2C%20you,tiredness%2C%20and%20headache

Galewitz, P. (2021, January 27). Poll: Nearly half of American adults now want the Covid vaccine – ASAP. Retrieved March 05, 2021, from https://khn.org/news/article/poll-nearly-half-of-american-adults-now-want-the-covid-vaccine-asap/).