If you’re hesitant about COVID-19 vaccine, listen to your doctors, community leaders
We’re getting closer to the day when COVID-19 vaccines will be readily available.
That may seem unlikely, especially if you’ve waited weeks for a chance to get yours and you’re spending hours checking in with every pharmacy and grocery store hoping for a shot. But three versions are approved in the U.S., distribution is speeding up, and in Tarrant County, the infrastructure is in place to give more shots than leaders can acquire.
So, what’s your reason for not getting the shot?
Most Texans could be inoculated by the time the summer heats up. The main obstacle to truly suppressing the coronavirus pandemic will soon shift from vaccine availability to “vaccine hesitancy.”
For some, it’s simple logistics — elderly people who don’t use the internet and haven’t yet heard about the county hotline, where operators can sign them up (817-248-6299). Some can’t travel much and must wait, unfortunately, until shots can be brought to their neighborhoods. These are fixable issues, though it will take time and resources.
In minority communities, histories of abuse and neglect by medicine and government are a factor in distrust of these inoculation efforts. General suspicion of vaccines stretches across political ideologies, and in this case, doubts are fueled by the seemingly quick development of the vaccines.
Public health leaders and government officials can only be so effective in countering these concerns. It’ll take trusted community leaders, neighbors that people trust as having their best interests at heart. Take Edith Avila’s effort in the largely Hispanic Diamond Hill neighborhood to help people register and get to vaccine appointments, chronicled by the Star-Telegram’s Brian Lopez.
It will also help if every step is taken to serve communities that have been neglected. The UNT Health Science Center, one of the county’s partners in the vaccination effort, recently announced that it would open a clinic in a Stop Six church. More of that, please.
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Then, there are people concerned about their personal health situation and whether the vaccine is safe for them. Don’t assume that it’s not; talk to your doctor. Family physicians should make every effort to reach out to patients, address their concerns and offer advice.
Others waiting to sign up may be trying to do a noble deed: avoid “taking” a vaccine from someone who needs it more. This is a fine impulse, but we’re at the point now where boosting the number of vaccines given is more important than who gets them. Every shot gets us close to herd immunity, and by getting one, you’re doing your part to protect others.
At a minimum, register and get in line. Within weeks, all adults will be eligible for inoculation, and when ample supplies are available, arms will be needed.
One of the benefits of having doctors and community leaders take the lead is that it should help lessen the impact of politics from the issue. A recent poll that drew much attention found that Republican men and self-described Donald Trump supporters were the most hesitant groups to get vaccinated. It’s somewhat odd, given the complaint that the Trump administration isn’t getting enough credit for helping speed the development of vaccines.
But thankfully, the former president strongly recommended the vaccine in a television interview, and he’s reportedly been inoculated himself. Politics should play no role in one’s decision, even in this hyper-political era.
The easier the shots become to get, the more people who are on the fence now may decide to dive in. Right now, it takes several affirmative steps. But within months, getting inoculated could be as easy as walking into a local pharmacy, with no appointment. Some may relent when their doctor recommends it as part of an annual checkup.
And yes, some will choose to never get the vaccine. Browbeating or shaming won’t work. Tapping trustworthy community figures to persuade as many as possible is more productive and better for overall public health.
That includes doctors. If you’re unsure of what to do or have questions, call yours as soon as possible.