As LEDE News reported Monday evening, a vaccination to counter COVID-19 should arrive to West Virginia the second week of December and the Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department and the Emergency Management Agency already are prepared for when it reaches the Northern Panhandle.
As the headline indicated, the plan is in place, but the question is … will you get vaccinated?
The two companies that have filed with the Food and Drug Administration for authorization have reported efficiency rates in the mid-90s with few side effects and demand is expected to be very high across the country.
It is also expected some will refuse, and that will make it more difficult to achieve “herd protection,” according to the Center of Disease Control and Protection. Agency officials have stated that at least 70 percent of Americans must develop an immunity to the coronavirus via vaccine, or that 80 to 90 percent contract the disease. The latter obviously is less favored option because of the amount of death that would occur.
What is not known is the percentage of Americans that will refuse for any one of a number of reasons. “Anti-vaxxers” decline vaccines because they believe the doses are a violation of their human rights; some believe there is a connection between autism and vaccinations; and others have adopted their anti-stances because of political inclinations.
Once last evening’s article was shared on social media platform, several posters stated they are afraid of being “guinea pigs” because of how quickly the vaccination was developed by the two corporations, but what those folks may not realize is that Pfizer and Moderna were stoked with taxpayer dollars and mandated to work as quickly as possible. Usually it is funding that causes the slow pace of vaccination development, but that was not the case with the COVID-19 inoculation, according to the CDC, and Dr. Anthony Fauci has said that such concern is unnecessary because of the documented results.
And let’s admit, Fauci has told so much truth during this pandemic that he’s been in hot water with the current presidential administration on several occasions. Therefore, if he advises we line up, it’s believable.
