Vaccinations matter and lead the way to ‘normal’
Recently, I heard a nurse say she was holding off on getting vaccinated against COVID-19 and remarked, “The Lord will look out for me.”
It reminded me of the story about the man who sat atop the roof of his house with flood water rising, as a boat of rescuers passed by. He said the same thing. He said the same thing to a rescue crew in a helicopter. When the flood water rose and he drowned, at the pearly gates, he asked why God let him drown. St. Peter informed him that God sent him a rescue boat and a helicopter, so why didn’t he take it?
Other excuses for avoiding vaccinations abound. Some say they do not trust development speed of the vaccines. Others say they just do not trust the government. Anti-vaccination individuals and groups are not given to persuasion. So, go figure.
The research basis of the vaccines pre-dated the pandemic of 2020-21 by at least 15 years, dating back to SARS and MERS, earlier Coronavirus variants that proved not to be as fatal, but got the research ground-work established.
In a veteran’s talking group that I meet with, a couple vaccine-resistant veterans just say they wouldn’t “let anyone stick anything in their arm.” We discussed how they managed to avoid malaria, dysentery, dengue fever and other tropical and topical diseases — because they were thoroughly vaccinated in the military — and that is how they arrived at the threshold of their elder years, after surviving the Vietnam War.
The best and fastest path to reuniting with family members, enjoying dinner with friends (without dread and anxiety), to a movie date or taking a trip (again, without fear), lies in helping yourself and helping your loved ones start and complete vaccinations as quickly as possible.
As of this week, of our 330-plus million population, the Centers for Disease Control estimates up to 40% of adults have received at least one shot. About 23% of the adult population has acquired both shots. What are the benefits? Easy. Vaccinations represent the most hopeful path toward “next!” What will pass for normalcy after a year of a historic pandemic that took more than a half-million lives.
Recently, I traveled out-of-state in relative safety, because of two vaccination doses and maintaining safe practices, as needed. A physician from a rural area shared with me his belief that “it has all been exaggerated.” I was dumbfounded. The physician, who works far from any metro areas, said, “Sure people died, but from lots of causes.”
I have my own short list of friends dead and those who suffer long-term impact. I never thought I would live to see refrigerator trucks for the dead and temporary tentage for hospital beds in the Antelope Valley, with morgues past capacity, like a science fiction movie, only real.
How effective are the vaccines? This from the American Association of Retired People: The Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine was shown to be 95% overall effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 after two doses in phase three clinical trials and was shown to be 94.7% effective in people age 65 and older in its clinical trials after the second dose.
The Moderna vaccine was shown to be 94.1% overall effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 in its phase 3 clinical trials after the second dose, and shown to be 86.4% effective in people age 65 and over after two doses.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine was shown to be 66.1% overall effective in preventing COVID-19 symptoms after one dose in its phase three multi-country clinical trials and 72% effective among participants in the US trials. The Johnson & Johnson Vaccine was shown to be 68.6% effective in people age 65 and over after one dose. On Thursday, the City of Palmdale will allow 2,000 people to receive the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at the Clock Tower Transportation Center. On April 22, the same site will vaccinate anyone over 16 years.
At my employer, High Desert Medical Group, we are vaccinating about 200 mostly older patients a day, including a Vietnam War veteran friend I encountered. We are working with the City of Lancaster and Kaiser Permanente is vaccinating hundreds daily at the Antelope Valley Fairgrounds.
All three vaccines more than meet the 50% effectiveness threshold required by the FDA. In addition, the data from phase three clinical trials for all three vaccines show that all of them are 100% effective in preventing hospitalization and death from COVID-19.
If the good Lord has the wisdom to send rescue boats and helicopters, it makes no sense to not get on board. Heaven can wait.
Dennis Anderson is a licensed clinical social worker at High Desert Medical Group. An Army veteran, he deployed with local National Guard troops to cover the Iraq War for the Antelope Valley Press. He specializes in veterans assistance and community health initiatives.