PSA: Get the COVID Vaccine!
I have to admit I’m slightly embarrassed because it has been four months since I resumed blogging and this is the first time I have addressed the worldwide pandemic that has taken approximately 559,000 American lives since the first American case was reported in Jan 2020. Again, just for emphasis approximately 559,000 people have been killed by COVID in the span of about 16 months. This pandemic has caused radical changes in our lives, kept us separated from our families, and exposed many of us to unthinkable tragedies. But we may be close to the end of a very dark tunnel. On December 14, the first dose of the COVID vaccine was given.
On April 1, I took the first of two doses I must take for my vaccine shot. Additionally, I got a chance to receive a community briefing from Dr. Michael J.L. Smith who is Assistant Professor of Integrated Medical Science at Florida Atlantic University. As a result, I feel moved to talk a little about COVID, its history, the development of the vaccine, and why you should take it if you haven’t already.
First, let’s talk about what COVID-19 is. The CO stands for Corona the VI stands for Virus and the D stands for Disease. The 19 just stands for the year it was first detected which is 2019. The coronavirus is linked to the same family of viruses as the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).
One of the main arguments against taking the vaccine has been the speed with which the vaccine was developed. It usually takes several years for a vaccine to be developed, tested and delivered to the public. However, it would seem the COVID vaccine only took one. That is not altogether true.
Recalling back to 2003, there was a disease called SARS which (like COVID) started in China and spread to four countries. Unlike COVID it was quickly contained and no one really heard of it again. This is important because study of SARS laid the foundation for the COVID vaccine that is available today. When scientists began developing the COVID vaccine, they had a baseline built on the foundation of 16 years of scientific work to guide them. They weren’t shooting in the dark and they knew exactly what to do. This is why it was possible to create the vaccine on a shorter timeline.
According to doctors, here’s how a vaccine works. It basically gives your cells instructions which produce a piece of the disease. This piece of the disease is harmless but creates a reaction in your body as it recognizes that the piece of disease is not supposed to be there. Your body reacts by creating antibodies that would be similar to if there was a real infection. Once these antibodies are created your body will recognize and fight off any real infection from the actual disease. Basically, a vaccine teaches your body what to look for.
Right now, the vaccines are provided by three different companies. Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson and Johnson. Health experts are encouraging people to take whichever one is available in your area. They are all similarly effective and there aren’t really enough doses available to be picky about it.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the vaccine is highly effective at preventing infection from COVID. At minimum it will keep people from experiencing the worst consequences of the virus. In addition, scientists are doing studies to discover whether it stops people from spreading the disease. The science on the effectiveness of vaccines show that in the past they have been effective in combatting diseases such as Polio, Smallpox, and Measles. If we all take the vaccine it should slow the circulation of COVID within our communities and allow us to get back to some form of normalcy. Therefore, I’m in support of as many people taking the vaccine as possible.