I was recently asked by a close friend about making a compelling case at this point for someone who is hesitant to pursue a COVID-19 vaccine. I’m sharing in case it is useful to anyone out there:
- There is very compelling recent evidence that more than 98 percent of those in the U.S. who contracted a severe case of COVID-19 require hospitalization and die from the disease are unvaccinated. With more than 50 percent of the adult population having received vaccination – this is very, very strong evidence of the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines administered through the emergency use authorization.
- Although there are breakthrough cases (positive COVID-19 test results among those who are vaccinated) – these cases are still dwarfed by the number of positive tests among the unvaccinated, and the evidence suggests that most of these breakthrough cases are either mild or asymptomatic. Although there have yet to be scientific articles on this – I suspect that many of the breakthrough infections will be from new variants (and perhaps there will soon be new COVID-19 booster shots that offer additional protection against these new variants).
- The risks of adverse events due to vaccination are minuscule (very few people get seriously ill from the COVID-19 vaccine).
- The best tool we have for reducing the spread (and adverse health impacts) of COVID-19 is the vaccine. The next best tools are isolation and masking. This includes reducing the likelihood and impact of new variants (such as Delta and Gamma).
- We don’t yet know the full spectrum of health issues that people who contract COVID-19 will face in the future – but there is already evidence that some people have serious complications following recovery (e.g. the COVID-19 long-haulers, and some systemic/structural changes to heart tissue following infection in some patients).
So with all that – why not protect yourself and your loved ones??
Lastly – I think that people forget how important the pursuit of immunization and vaccination is to public health in general. The human condition has been vastly improved with countless lives being protected against other diseases (Smallpox, Polio, Measles, etc.) through the herd immunity offered through vaccination both domestically and abroad.
– Warren Strauss, President, Karna LLC
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Karna LLC supports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with health communication around COVID-19 vaccine awareness and confidence. To learn more about our company or read our posts on public health, visit us online at www.karna.com