Fighting Hesitation to COVID Vaccine | Iredell Health System

As the highly contagious new variant of COVID-19 once again increases cases of the virus, vaccination rates continue to decline.

This widespread decline in COVID vaccinations is largely due to reluctance to vaccinate. Millions of American adults are still unsure of the vaccine, or are simply considering what it might mean for themselves and their families.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), providers administer, on average, less than one million doses of vaccine per day. This is an 83% drop from the peak of 3.38 million doses of vaccine reported in April.

“I am concerned that the drop in vaccination rates will cause another significant spike in COVID cases and may even lead to another period of restrictions and lockdowns. We’re already seeing this happening in counties and states with the lowest vaccination rates, ”said Rachel B. DiSanto, physician at Statesville Family Practice, part of the Iredell Physician Network.

For example, as reported by the CDC, Vermont currently has the lowest number of COVID-19 cases in the country, reporting just 4.7 infections per 100,000 people in a week. Vermont, however, has a vaccination rate of at least one dose of 82.8%.

In contrast, Missouri, as the new variant rises statewide, reported 148.7 COVID-19 infections per 100,000 people in just one week. Missouri has a single dose vaccination rate of 45.4%.

Iredell Health System has vaccinated more than 50,000 people in Iredell and surrounding counties. However, due to the drop in demand, he had to stop organizing public vaccination clinics.

While getting the COVID-19 vaccine is a personal choice, understanding the importance of viral immunity can help increase public confidence in the vaccine and in turn help slow the spread of this variant of the coronavirus.

So why are so many Americans hesitant to get vaccinated? Many of their doubts are based on concerns about the safety and effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Safety concerns
Among those DiSanto has encountered, there is a common perception that vaccines are neither safe nor have they been around long enough to determine long-term effects.

Of the three vaccines approved urgently in the United States, the COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials are one of the largest clinical trials in the history of any vaccine, with more than tens of thousands of participants.

“The CDC collects more safety data and monitors these vaccines more closely than any vaccine in US history, making COVID vaccines the most rigorously studied vaccines in history,” he said. she adds.

Although there have been extremely rare adverse events that were reported shortly after the vaccine was administered, they are much less likely to occur than catching COVID and having a serious complication from the virus itself. same.

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, the vast majority of side effects from vaccines are very short-term and are neither serious nor dangerous. You may feel pain at the injection site, a headache, or a fever after receiving your vaccine. However, these are only signs that the vaccine is working and is boosting your immune system.

In clinical vaccine trials, the vast majority of side effects or problems have occurred within the first six weeks after vaccine administration.

“So now that we have a year of data and testing on the COVID vaccine, it is extremely unlikely that serious long-term effects will start to show now,” DiSanto said.

There are several myths and rumors surrounding the use of the vaccine. As noted by the CDC, common misconceptions include the vaccine that makes you magnetic, the vaccine that changes your DNA, and the vaccine that causes pregnancy problems.

“The reluctance to get vaccinated is largely due to the spread of misinformation on social media,” said Laura Randolph, obstetrician / gynecologist at the Piedmont Healthcare Women’s Center.

According to Randolph, the claim that the COVID-19 vaccine interferes with female infertility is believed to come from a letter written to the European Medicines Agency. This letter claimed that the genetic code for a protein in the placenta was slightly similar to the genetic code for a protein in the COVID-19 vaccine, called a spike protein. However, there is a similarity of less than 1% between these two proteins.

Because of this very small similarity, some believe that antibodies from the COVID-19 vaccine could react to the placental protein and reject the placenta. But, proteins that react in this way generally share greater than 75% similarity, which is far greater than the mere similarity of 1%.

“If antibodies against the COVID-19 spike protein resulted in placental damage or infertility, we would see an epidemic of it among the more than 180 million people infected worldwide and over a billion people vaccinated,” he said said Randolph.

In an attempt to combat this myth, the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine have released a joint statement saying the COVID vaccine has no impact on fertility. .

Additionally, since the COVID-19 vaccine, 123,000 people have reported pregnancy in the CDC’s post-vaccination checker.

“Vaccinations are ultimately a personal choice, especially in the context of pregnancy, and the goal of physicians is to provide accurate information on which our patients can base their decision,” said Randolph.

Also, be sure to be cautious and cautious about where you get information about vaccines. Check out credible websites, like the CDC, and don’t always believe everything you see on social media.

Efficiency issues
It is important to know that COVID-19 vaccines are indeed effective.

Almost all recent deaths from COVID-19 in the United States have involved unvaccinated people, according to America’s leading infectious disease expert, Dr.Anthony Fauci.

“The three vaccines approved for emergencies in the United States are extremely effective in preventing serious infections and deaths from COVID, and very effective in preventing even asymptomatic COVID infections, depending on the vaccine,” DiSanto said.

DiSanto believes that many people perceive the COVID vaccine to be “like the flu vaccine”.

“However, it’s not the same as the flu shot. They have been shown to be effective against many variant strains of COVID that have emerged since vaccines were developed, ”said DiSanto.

Another efficacy issue is that many people who have already contracted COVID believe that they still have the antibodies and are therefore immune and do not need the vaccine.

According to John Hopkins Medicine, people who have had COVID-19 in the past may still benefit from the vaccination. While there is not enough information to say for sure how long COVID antibodies are effective, re-infection with COVID-19 is very possible. Early studies suggest that these antibodies may not last very long, but more evidence needs to be collected to better understand this.

“We have no way of knowing yet how long these antibodies will last and if it protects people against the variant strains of COVID. It’s safer and better to always have a COVID vaccine, especially if you had COVID more than four months ago, ”DiSanto said.

Importance of the vaccine
It is widely accepted that vaccination is an essential tool in stopping the spread of COVID-19. People are more ready than ever to get back to “normal”.

“Vaccination is the best way to protect yourself and your family, friends, neighbors and coworkers. It is the best way to end the pandemic. And this is the best chance to bring life, society and the economy back to normal, ”said DiSanto.

If you would like to be vaccinated, please call the Iredell Health System COVID vaccine hotline at 704-878-7787. Please leave a message clearly indicating your first and last name, as well as your telephone number.

Hotline messages will be checked weekly and you will be contacted with more information on vaccine availability shortly thereafter. Vaccination clinics will be organized according to demand. If demand is not high enough to warrant holding a clinic, Iredell Health System will contact you with other vaccination options.

Still have questions ? Do not hesitate to talk to your doctor.

“Your primary care provider is happy to see you to discuss any questions you may have about the COVID vaccine, including safety and effectiveness,” DiSanto said.