Vaccines for the general public are inching closer and closer. Some friends, family members, and colleagues may have already received their first dose if they’re part of an early phase.
Having a discussion about vaccine distribution in the home can be awkward. According to Pew Research Center, intent to receive a COVID-19 vaccine is only 60 percent as of Dec. 3. “21 percent of U.S. adults do not intend to get vaccinated and are ‘pretty certain’ more information will not change their mind,” the Pew Research Center suggests.
The percentage of those who have trust in the vaccine has likely risen since its early steps towards distribution in early January, but Pew Research Center has not done a current survey.
Although there has been work to help instill more confidence in a COVID-19 vaccine, many Americans are simply uncomfortable with the speed of which the vaccine was created. Cases are expected to go down in parallel with more opportunity for outdoor interaction, causing some to question if a vaccine is worth it at all.
Travis Greenberg, a senior anthropology major, detailed some of the struggles he faces at home. “It might be a generational thing.” Greenberg said. “Older people might not be as trustworthy as we are, and they definitely have issues accessing the internet to answer their own questions.”
Many concerns, such as vaccine development speed, have been addressed by experts online and through traditional media. Gitanjali Pai MD, an infectious disease physician at Memorial Hospital and Physicians’ Clinic in Stilwell, Oklahoma, gave a statement to healio.com
“Fortunately for humanity, COVID-19 vaccine development occurred in the spirit of a relay race,” Pai said in her statement. Many companies have worked together to develop the record breaking vaccine.
Various COVID-19 vaccines developed as a result of landmark government funding and cooperation, yet many remain distrustful. “I think since the vaccine is a personal thing, that’s why there’s some resistance to it,” Greenberg said. “When it comes to wearing masks, people will do it because it’s a community thing. Although vaccines are all about stopping the spread, people might see it as too invasive and a step too far.”
Vaccines created by American biotechnology companies, such as Moderna, are being spread all around the globe. This international cooperation has led to a new era of medicine-based globalization.
In a family home, there’s a lot of different moving parts. Different people who live in the same area encompass a wide array of vulnerabilities to the virus. Concern for COVID-19 has had a flow to it, moving up and down depending on case load and specific community issues.
We’re only a few months from the presumed finish line. To look back on the virus with a sense of pride in protecting those around you and yourself, it makes sense to fulfill any possibilities that could create a safer environment.
That being said, showing someone an expert’s opinion on the COVID-19 vaccine may not be enough to sway them into acquiring a vaccine.
“I hope the cases go down with or without the vaccine,” Greenberg said. “It’s undeniable it helps ease the active cases, however. For me personally, the vaccine represents putting it all behind us.”
IMAGE TAKEN from Pexels.com
