Misinformation is Killing Americans
Unvaccinated people are 13 times more likely to die from covid-19 than someone who is vaccinated but not boosted. They are 53 times more likely compared with someone who is both vaccinated and boosted. Since Covid is constantly evolving, new variants like Omicron have left the vaccines much less effective in preventing someone from contracting the virus. However, a fact that critics love to ignore: the vaccine's effectiveness in preventing the worst case scenario still remains. As Covid cases rise higher than ever before, nearly all recent hospitalizations and deaths have occurred among unvaccinated people. And amidst those unvaccinated: a majority of them are republican.
Before I begin, let me clarify; this is about politics. I acknowledge that many unvaccinated Americans aren’t Republican chauvinists, and that there are many reasons why people won’t get or at least haven’t gotten vaccinated. Though nonetheless politics has played a crucial role.
Millions of Republicans have decided that downplaying Covid is crucial to their identity as conservatives, even though their distrust in the vaccines means that the virus is killing way more Republicans than Democrats. According to Eric Topol of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, the weekly covid U.S. death rate for those unvaccinated is 9.74 per 100,000 people; for the fully vaccinated but lacking a booster, it is .71 per 100,000, and for those with a booster shot, it is only 0.1 per 100,000.
Republicans have long been against vaccinations. During the 2016 Republican presidential primary race,many candidates, including Donald Trump, repeated debunked theories that vaccines cause autism in children. People continue to spread these kinds of falsehoods and misinformation about the Covid-19 vaccine. Since the early days of the Virus, lies surrounding vaccines have been in circulation causing widespread skepticism. Lies that, time and time again, have been proven as such.
So why won't people get vaccinated? One of the most common reasons, and most bizarre is the conspiracy that the vaccine is microchipping Americans. The theories claim that vaccination is just an excuse to inject a microchip into you that could then allow the government to track you and your behaviors. This is not at all feasible considering the size required for a microchip. Covid vaccines are given with 25- to 22-gauge needles, which have internal diameters approximately between 0.26 and 0.41 millimeters. Meanwhile, a chip with 5G functionality is a little smaller than a penny (19.05 mm) Even the smallest chips, RFID chips(size?), can only function when they are attached to a coil antenna. There is, however, a radio frequency identification (RFID) chip with a unique serial number on the outside of the syringe to track vaccine usage. This RFID chip will not be injected into your arm.
A mute point, but why would the government have any interest in watching you pick out bananas at the grocery store? Besides, there are already lots of things that the government can use to track us. Whether it’s through our phones or our credit cards, the vaccine is the least of your worries. Companies are making billions by tracking and selling your data, and they’re not using vaccines to do it.
Infertility
Last December, a German epidemiologist asserted that the COVID-19 vaccines might make women’s bodies reject a protein that’s connected to placenta, therefore making women infertile. He believed that the vaccine could cause the body to attack syncytin-1, a protein in the placenta that shares a small piece of genetic code with the spike protein of the coronavirus.His theory was based on an assumption that if the vaccine causes bodies to make antibodies that fight Covid, it could also make antibodies to reject the placenta. This, however, was a theoretical risk that was completely disproven in the clinical trials and continues to be disproven in real time as more women of child-bearing age become fully vaccinated. No loss of fertility was reported during the animal studies or human trials of the vaccines, and there have been no reported cases of fertility loss among the millions of people who have received the vaccines. There is no evidence that vaccines cause infertility however there is evidence about the danger of COVID-19 infection to pregnant women. The vaccination rate among pregnant people reamains stubbornly low, despite new data suggesting that being unvaccinated actually increases the chances of a miscarriage or of a baby dying within the first month of life. A reason why they should embrace vaccination rather than avoid it.
New technology
Many people's skepticism surrounding the vaccine stems from the rapidity in which it was produced and distributed. Questions have been raised about how scientists made coronavirus vaccines so rapidly without compromising people's safety. Normally, drug research takes years or even decades from idea to reality. The first vaccines to combat Covid were developed, tested and given emergency use authorization in 11 months. Granted, this does seem a little rushed. However, the covid vaccine is a RNA (mRNA) vaccine which teaches our cells how to make a protein that will trigger an immune response inside our bodies. So although the covid vaccine is new, researchers have been studying and working with mRNA vaccines for decades. The vaccine technology has been studied in vaccines against other viruses, such as influenza, rabies and Zika, as well as in treatments for cancer. As soon as the necessary information about the virus that causes Covid was available, scientists were able to use what was already known about mRNA to build the unique spike protein into an mRNA vaccine. Lifewise, increased collaboration, use of new technology and more funding meant that vaccine developers could work quickly during this pandemic.
This particular vaccine being so new, people are also questioning possible side effects. People have shared with me numerous stories of Doctors refusing to discuss side effects of the shot. Some may even say that authorities aren’t reporting side effects because with the misinformation already circulating, they don't want to give the vaccine a bad rep. These, however, are just stories. While it is more than likely that some Doctors will not report possible side effects, some does not equate to all. From my perspective, the Benefits that come from the vaccine outweigh the minescoul risk of serious side effects that it may bring. It is not secret that some individuals experience more adverse effects after vaccination, but serious adverse effects are rare. Studies show that if 1 million doses of a vaccine are given, only 1 to 2 people may have a severe allergic reaction.
Aside from the worry of initial side effects from vaccination, many raise concerns about what will happen to them long term. One thing we can do is look at vaccines produced and studied over time. Going back at least as far as the polio vaccine, which was widely released to the public in the 1960s, scientists have never seen a vaccination with long-term side effects, meaning side effects that occur several months or years after injection. And, in every vaccine available to us, side effects — including rare but serious side effects — develop within six to eight weeks of injection. The Covid vaccine has been out to the public for over a year now and the vaccine, as of now, has proven to be extremely safe. The phenomenon: the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine was put on pause when health officials learned that a small number of people who received the vaccine experienced a serious blood clotting problem. Which is why the CDCis now recommending the use of the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines over the Johnson & Johnson.
I understand the concern of putting seemingly miscellaneous chemicals in your body however this could be easily remedied by a click of a few keys and research. Refusing to research is a display of outright ignorance. People are skeptical of chemicals put in the vaccine yet are willing to eat a Mcdonalds Big Mac, chalk full of chemicals and preservatives banned in many other countries.
A lot of these responses are normal; they are expected. However, back to the republican chauvinist variety, my favorite of their arguments: “My body, my choice.” Ironic isn’t it. A statement now employed by both political parties, neither willing to see the other's side. At the very moment that Roe v. Wade could be overturned, the American republican has become obsessed with bodily autonomy and has adopted the slogan “My body, my choice” about Covid vaccines and mask mandates. For this particular group, government regulation was fine unless it was regulating them.
All currently approved/ authorized COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective and reduce your risk of severe illness. Vaccination can reduce the spread of disease, and contribute to finally taiming Covid. Even though 64.6 % of the US is already vaccinated, the hope for herd immunity is diminishing. The new goal of scientists is to take Covid from a pandemic to an endemic. Endemicity would mean a non-disruptive presence without elimination, we may never put a complete end to the virus. The anticipation is that long term, Covid will become more like the Flu. In order for this to happen, we must maximize vaccination of our populations, so nobody has to die. Through vaccination, smallpox has been eradicated worldwide. Through vaccination, polio has been eliminated from the Western Hemisphere, Europe, and Oceania, with only a few pockets left in a few countries. And through mass vaccination, COVID-19 rates declined dramatically in the second quarter of 2021. The unvaccinated are fueling this virus and keeping it alive. Do your research and get vaccinated.
