Why You Need to Get Vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible
It is imperative you get vaccinated as soon as possible if you want to do well and if you want to protect those you love and the rest of your society and the world. It is over a year now since the official beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic (SARS Cov-2) began. A lot has happened since February 2020. Our lives have been turned upside down by this pandemic and its consequences. As a result, our current life styles are no longer recognizable by 2019 standards. More than 3 million people are now dead around the world and more than 144 million have been diagnosed with the disease. At the same time, more than 31 million people have been infected, 600 thousand are dead in the United States and we keep on counting. And, as of this writing, about 850 thousand new cases of the virus are diagnosed here monthly! This is the highest national rate of new infections since the beginning of the pandemic.
The current COVID situation
Yes, you read it right. These are the highest numbers since the beginning of this pandemic in early 2020. This is so in spite of all world governments’ efforts to stop the spread of the virus, to produce vaccines in record times, and to vaccinate populations massively. This is the case–even if scientists have found better ways to screen for the virus and treat the diseases caused by COVID19 infections. But, make no mistake, despite some significant progress made in the last few months, the battle against COVID19 is far from over.
In the US, we are facing the 4th wave of COVID infections at this time in May 2021. This last waive includes more deadly and more contagious strains of the virus than any previous ones. Hospitals in many parts of the country are on the verge of collapsing. This is indeed the case already in some countries in Europe as well as in many other countries, such as India, Brazil, Argentina and many others around the world.
Thanks to president Biden’s intervention, more than 200 million vaccine doses have been applied to at least a third of the American population. But this number–as remarkable as it is–is far from where we need to be in order to vanquish COVID. We need at least 70 to 80 percent of the population vaccinated before the end of this year to control the situation. This number is the equivalent of 250 million people with the 2 doses of the vaccine required for a 90 percent protection.
Mind you that I said a “90 percent protection,” even if you got the two doses of the vaccine. This is so as about 10 percent of people can get milder forms of the infection or may carry the virus with them to others even on the complete vaccination schedule!!! So, these are really bad news about the problem we face going forward.
The psychology behind refusal to vaccination
It is essential to realize that we are in a state of WAR with COVID-19. This pandemic is the greatest challenge the world has faced since the end of World War II and we must stand up to the occasion. This is not an individual issue but a national–and a planetary one. You must bear this duty in mind when you make your decision regarding vaccination. You are not only protecting yourself by getting vaccinated–but all THOSE YOU LOVE AROUND YOU. Every generation has had its share of challenges in human history. Ours is to beat this COVID19 pandemic once and for all. Are you going to step up to the plate? Or are you out of cowardice going to let others do the fight for you?
The main psychological reasons for vaccine refusal:
1-Lack of knowledge of what vaccines are, what they do, and how they work to protect us.
2-Denial of the fact that vaccines—like any other medicine or ANY human intervention—are not completely free from risk, but their use is predicated on a cost-benefit equation. This means, their use has a very small–but unavoidable risk. And not getting vaccinated exposes you—and the rest of people around you—to major life and health risks. These risks include the loss of your livelihood, your health, your life and theirs.
3-Not wanting to take the vaccine because of potential risks of side effects is based on an irrational fear. The logic behind this fear is the equivalent to thinking that you are “not going to put on a life jacket nor jump into a lifeboat as the TITANIC is sinking, just because the vest can leave red marks on your body and the life boat is going to be too cramped for your personal taste.”
The media and the impact of emphasizing bad news
4-There is an immense tendency in the media to overemphasize bad news. It is a bad news bias that prevails in every area of public life in America–but even more so in the area of health, mental health, vaccines and/or new pharmaceuticals. Bad news sell, good news don’t. To give an example of the tendency is the Johnson and Johnson vaccine situation. Six people developed vascular side effects that are ascribed to that particular vaccine use. The J&J vaccine was already administered to 7 million people in the US by the time these 6 people out of 7 million got rather serious side effects (vascular events). This is an extremely low rate of 0,00000085 chance of getting a serious bad side effect from this vaccine! This is 6 changes in 7 million, or put into different numbers 1 chance in a million!!! And yet the US government stopped the vaccine administration for review and reassessment. Fortunately, this one-dose effective vaccine, after a careful scientific review, is back for general use in the US.
That stringent measure of precaution gives you an idea of how secure these medications and how serious the American government is in monitoring their potential side effects. But still, you have much larger chances of dying in your car driving to work–or even of being struck by lighting or having a plane falling on the roof of your house–than dying from a Johnson and Johnson vaccination. And this does not even apply to the other effective vaccines used in the market, such as the Pfizer, the Moderna one, and many others.
The reality of the science of Medicine
5- In medicine 2 plus 2 is not always 4. There is always the odd exception to every rule: nothing is guaranteed 100 percent. There are people that have reported headaches from an Aspirin and an allergic reaction from Benadryl. But that is a fact of life: There is no such a thing as life without risk. If you never thought about it, here is a disquieting reality: The very fact you are alive puts you at 100 percent risk of dying! That is not very reassuring for most of us, but the only way of bringing this risk to zero is being already dead. And I don’t think you would go to that extreme to make sure no risk of death is possible for you.
In summary:
1-If you have not done it yet, you need to get vaccinated as soon as possible. This is for your protection, the ones you love, and that of the entire society around you. There is plenty of vaccine now for every American, so there are no excuses not to get your shot. If we ALL don’t want to cooperate and do it, we will never beat this virus and we will never be able to live like the old normal again. This thought is a very scary proposition.
2-It makes sense for you to get vaccinated to protect yourself from a very serious illness. This is so as COVID infection may not only kill you have multiple long-term serious effects on your health. But this decision also means that you care about the well-being of others too. It means that you are a courageous and considerate human being that thinks of others. Remember this is a prolonged FIGHT: It is the whole of humanity against COVID-19. It is a world war against an invisible enemy that is killing and disabling us by the millions. And we must all cooperate in the fight as good soldiers to beat this microscopic enemy as soon as humanly possible. The entire health and economy of the planet depends on it.
3-There is no good excuse to refuse vaccination. Keep in mind that most people around the world are fighting to get vaccinated and they do not have the financial or logistical means to get their dose. Here in the US, on the other hand, we are privileged. We are a nation of plenty and of massive resources that others do not have. As of April 15th 2021, every American after age 16 can get vaccinated against COVID-19: This is GREAT NEWS.
The vaccines are now being tested on children too and pretty soon everybody will be a candidate for vaccination from age 2 and onwards. That way they will be able to go back to school safely and without endangering the lives of the teachers, parents and grandparents.
4-Do not deceive yourself by thinking that because you are fed up of COVID or the measures to contain it (lockdowns, masks, social distancing) the virus is today any less lethal than when this pandemic started in January 2020. In fact, things are worse today than a year ago. People are tired, they are fed up with living with restrictions, and they have let their guard go down in mass. They are now breaking the rules all the time and behaving in over-confident ways. For this reason, we now see a lot more younger people ill and some even being hospitalized and dying.
5-The right–and the duty to get vaccinated–is even more important for anyone who works in an office, a public setting, or a health care related field.
If hospitals collapse and we run out of oxygen (like it is the case in many parts of Europe, India and Brazil Now) then you may find that if you catch COVID you will not get your medical needs taken care of by a collapsed health care system. You will not be able to survive because there will be no oxygen for you or an ICU (intensive care unit) to treat you or your loved one.
Think if over and make the right decision to get vaccinated right NOW
So, if you are hesitant–or scared about going for the jab–think about it twice. The risk of side effects of these vaccines is minimal; the risk of serious ones is remote. The benefits of getting the shots are immense for you, your family, and the rest of humanity. And please, do not do what everyone else is doing. Avoid the temptation of conforming to what others around you are doing. Just because your circle of friends or family don’t want to be vaccinated it does not mean you have to follow suit to feel accepted by the rest of the clan. On the contrary, You should become a proactive agent of health to them instead: You should promote vaccination for virtually everyone you know. Of course, people need to consult with their doctors first. This is important in case they suffer from some rare condition in which vaccination may not be indicated. But, overall, do not waste any more time, stop beating about the bush, and get your appointment for your shot today.
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I hope to see you in my next post,
Till then,
Dr T