Overcoming COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy: 5 facts you should know
Widespread COVID-19 vaccination is critically important to stop the pandemic, so we need everyone’s help to keep everyone around us safe. Here are some key facts to consider if you’re still on the fence about getting vaccinated.
- Getting vaccinated can protect you and those around you from getting sick.
We know how devastating COVID-19 is with more than 31 million cases confirmed in the U.S. and nearly 600,000 reported deaths nationwide. That’s why it’s important to get vaccinated as soon as possible. Waiting too long allows the virus to continue spreading in the community, with new variants emerging. The COVID-19 vaccines will protect you from getting seriously ill or being hospitalized. It’ll also help those around you, like older people and those living with chronic medical conditions – populations who are more likely to experience severe cases of COVID-19. The more people who get vaccinated, the sooner we can feel safe being among one another and go back to normal activities.
- People of color are especially vulnerable to COVID-19 complications.
Long-standing systemic health and social inequities have put Black, African American, Latinx/Hispanic, Native American and other communities at increased risk of dying from COVID-19. These communities are overrepresented in front-line, essential jobs, and are vulnerable to risk factors that can make COVID-19 worse such as heart disease and diabetes.
- Though the COVID-19 vaccine development was fast, it did not skip any safety steps.
The speed of the vaccines’ development was due to cutting the red tape and bureaucracy that often slows down medical innovations and not due to cutting corners or bypassing safety precautions. All COVID-19 vaccines were tested in clinical trials involving tens of thousands of people to make sure they meet safety standards and protect adults of different ages, races, and ethnicities. The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are 95% effective in preventing severe disease.
- Diversity in COVID-19 vaccine testing helped assess safety and effectiveness.
Participants in vaccine clinical trials were diverse. The clinical trials for the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines included Black (about 10% of participants) and Hispanic (about 20% of participants) people, older age groups (about 25%), and people with conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and heart and respiratory conditions. The U.S. study participants for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine were 15% Latinx/Hispanic; 13% Black/African American; 6% Asian and 1% Native American. New and future clinical trials will also include pregnant women and children under 12.
- Side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine are temporary.
The vaccines do not contain live coronavirus, and you cannot and will not get COVID-19 from getting vaccinated. There may be side effects, but they should go away within a few days. Side effects are signs that the vaccine is working to build immunity. Possible side effects include a sore arm, headache, fever, or body aches. It’s a less severe trade-off than experiencing the long-term side effects of getting COVID-19 (from permanently reduced lung capacity to loss of taste).
Learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine at:
- Coronavirus.providence.org/covid-vaccine
- FDA COVID-19 vaccine information
- CDC COVID-19 vaccine information
About the Author
More Content by Providence News Team
