People are getting vaccinated against COVID-19 worldwide. After nearly a year of lockdowns, sickness, and death in the U.S., 240 million vaccines have been administered. However, More than 570,000 Americans have died as of May 1, 2021. Around the world, more than 3 million men, women, and children have died from the 2019 coronavirus. Globally, more than 1 billion vaccines have been administered.
Know the Facts About COVID-19
COVID-19 isn’t the flu. As of 2021, it’s worse than the flu. From December 2019 to October 2020, the 2019 novel coronavirus has killed more Americans than the flu over the past five years. Millions of people have been exposed to influenza at some point in their lives. COVID-19 is 100%. The number exposed to it is much less than the flu, making it more dangerous to the general population. COVID also has a higher death rate and infection rate than the flu in all age groups, except for children under 12. However, that number’s growing, too.
There’s also less known about COVID-19. Scientists have been studying strains of the flu since the early 1900s. They’ve only had access to data on the 2019 coronavirus for a little more than a year. Few treatments work for all patients. Doctors treating patients with the flu have effective solutions to prevent and reduce the severity of influenza.
Even if you don’t mind getting sick once, healthy people can die from the 2019 coronavirus. Vaccination is the only way to prevent most COVID-19 deaths. When you think about the options, two jabs with a needle over three weeks or a ventilator and funeral, the first choice is clearly better.
Long-Hauler Syndrome
Another problem that people don’t experience with the flu is long-term COVID. This is an actual condition that’s ruining the quality of life for young and older people worldwide. The statistics are sketchy. But the facts show patients dealing with month after month of extreme fatigue, brain fog, short-term memory loss, reduced lung function, and many other symptoms associated with their original COVID-19 diagnosis.
Many people who’ve been vaccinated have stated that’s the main reason. They don’t mind getting sick, even if it’s a flu-like situation that takes them out for a few weeks. What they don’t want are long-term symptoms that take over their lives.
Vaccination is the only way to reduce the chances of long-term post-COVID-19 symptoms by 90%. Unlike severe illness and death from the virus, doctors haven’t been able to pinpoint what causes one person to recover fully and others to have long-term symptoms. Additionally, extended body responses related to the virus aren’t the same as complications, which can be even more devastating. Patients that have recovered from COVID-19 have lung scarring, heart damage, blood clotting problems, just to name a few.
Like the vaccination can reduce the chances of long-term COVID-19 problems by 90%, it can exceed a 90% chance of preventing severe infections and complications. Most people agree the vaccine is the better option.
mRNA Vaccines are Safe
Despite what you might hear on social media, mRNA vaccines aren’t new. Also known as messenger RNAs, scientists have been using them in animal models of several viruses for years, including the Zikas virus, rabies, and different influenza types. These don’t change your DNA. They aren’t small amounts of the virus. Instead, they train your immune system to recognize protein spikes caused by the virus and fight it.
Previous Infection Offers Limited Protection
Yes, if you’ve already had COVID-19, you have antibodies that protect you for a limited time. Researchers aren’t sure how long those immunities last. In addition, the antibodies only offer protection for the strain you experienced. The virus is mutating, which means your chances of an infection from a different variant of COVID-19 increase. If you’re vaccinated, you’re protected against most of the variants. The vaccine developers have stated they’re already had success with boosters for the different strains.
Herd Immunity Isn’t Here Yet
There’s been a lot of discussion of herd immunity over the past year. However, it’s not easy to achieve it without a vaccine. Even after 90% of the population is vaccinated, there will still be areas with less immunity protection than others. Additionally, herd immunity requires between 70% to 90% of the people, men, women, and children, get vaccinated. In many interviews, the leading expert on COVID-19 in the U.S., Dr. Fauci, estimates the high transmission rate of the virus means the country may need a 90% vaccination rate. With so much uncertainty about long-term symptoms and the possibility of severe complications and death from COVID-19, it’s a chance communities don’t want to take.
Your Decision Matters
Individuals refusing to get vaccinated often believe that if everyone around them gets the vaccination, they’ll be safe, and so will their friends and loved ones. They assume vaccines are 100% effective. Scientists and medical professionals deal in probabilities, not certainties. The more people that are vaccinated, the safer the world.
There are three vaccines approved in the U.S. by the FDA with emergency use authorization. You’ve probably seen it listed as FDA EUA. This is a complex manner of saying the vaccine is safe but long-term studies are necessary for full approval. Never in global history have the world’s leading scientists and medical professionals came together to defeat a single threat to humanity until 2020.
The FDA explains the decision,
“FDA may authorize unapproved medical products or unapproved uses of approved medical products to be used in an emergency to diagnose, treat, or prevent serious or life-threatening diseases or conditions caused by CBRN threat agents when certain criteria are met, including there are no adequate, approved, and available alternatives.”
Pfizer-BioNTech
Pfizer is the first vaccine to receive FDA EUA. Studies indicate it’s 95% effective in preventing the 2019 coronavirus with symptoms.
Moderna
The second to achieve FDA EUA is Moderna. Research shows this vaccine is 94% effective in preventing COVID-19 with symptoms.
Johnson & Johnson
Here’s where some people are concerned. J&J was initially approved in February of 2021. All vaccinations were halted for a week while a severe side effect, blood clots, was investigated. The pause ended on April 23, 2021, because the risk of clotting is extremely low, and it doesn’t outweigh the vaccine’s benefits. Unlike the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine, Johnson and Johnson is a single-shot option. Some people without a high risk for blood clots prefer this vaccination. Johnson and Johnson’s vaccine has an 86% efficiency rate against severe disease and death.
All three vaccines have the potential to cause side effects. Common responses to the COVID-19 vaccination include
- Chills
- Fever
- Headache
- Extreme tiredness
- Body aches
- Swelling and redness at the injection site
Side effects are typical, but not everyone experiences them.
Be part of the solution to save lives and return life to normal again. No one wants businesses shuttered, hospitals overwhelmed, or to continue wearing masks and social distancing. People want to breathe freely, indoor and out. They want to hug their loved ones, go to concerts, and enjoy large family gatherings without worrying. Help stop the spread of COVID-19. Vaccinations are safe and save lives.