The result is in view, we are told. The cavalry is on the verge of approval in the form of safe and effective vaccines for COVID-19 and is being prepared for widespread distribution. The stock market has risen in response to the news release of each pharmaceutical company’s latest successful clinical trial. Americans expect an end to this shocking chapter of our history and are ready to turn the page in 2020.
Besides, if the United States had led the world in an individual epidemic and death, would we expect the same people to refuse to wear the mask because of the deep suspicion of minimal safety precautions from a serious population, but two doses of the brand new vaccine? We may soon have safe and effective vaccines, but with the horrific paradoxical twist of our country’s perverse political environment, society may refuse to defend itself.
There are a variety of reasons for the vaccine suspicion for several key segments of the U.S. population. Among black and brown communities, there is deep and reasonable distrust due to the medical abuse allowed by the historic government, which is reflected in new polls about the COVID-19 vaccine. On the American left, the distrust that big pharmaceutical companies pay more than public health — again justifiable — is fueling cynicism about the motives of private companies throwing away piles of taxpayers’ money.
Among the liberal elite, the growing popularity of “clean food” and “health” and the acceptance of personal responsibility for one’s health through expensive foods and strenuous exercise have sown a hypocritical movement that strives for cleanliness as a path to well-being and health. Part of that movement includes the gift of natural remedies on chemicals, including life-threatening diseases such as cancer. It has also fueled the notion that drugs, including vaccines, are “dangerous” to our body. Quake doctors like Andrew Wakefield, celebrities like Jenny McCarthy and political figures like Robert Kennedy Jr. have done serious damage to the belief in vaccine protection. Prior to the outbreak, one of the biggest fears among public health professionals was the resurgence of measles triggered by falling vaccine rates.
On the right, anti-vaccine activists have developed similar vaccine suspicions as court conservative allies, forming a viable alliance. Republican Senator Ron Johnson recently went so far as to call an anti-vaccine doctor to testify before a Senate panel. “Herd immunity” – a term used to describe the gateway to protection that vaccines can achieve if it is taken by enough people – can simply be achieved by enough people who catch the disease. President Donald Trump has been one of the main proponents of this whole idea.
Scientists estimate that two-thirds of the population will be vaccinated to prevent the spread of COVID-19. In August, less than half of the population was ready to be vaccinated — a surprising number considering the widespread disillusionment with vaccines in general. Republicans are more skeptical than Democrats, which is not surprising given that the majority of GOP voters still support Trump – the president’s relentless lies and scientific skepticism form the basis of his leadership. A country steeped in misinformation has entered a sanctuary to rule for four long years, naturally becoming suspicious of vaccines.
Some fears are raised by the lack of hope that an effective vaccine can be produced in such a short period of time. In fact, past attempts to develop effective vaccines have taken many years. In that context, the federal government’s “Operation Warp Speed” vaccination program has raised fears. Dr. Anthony Fucci, president of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, explained, “People don’t understand that because when they hear ‘Operation Warp Speed’, they say, ‘Oh my God, they’re jumping over all these measures and putting us in danger. ” But in reality, decades of important medical research, companies like Pfizer and Moderna have developed MRNA-type vaccines that far outperform scientists’. Expectations in clinical trials. Fassi explained, “The pace is a reflection of the work of the past several years.”
There is another insidious obstacle to the vaccination program. We live in a nation inspired by independent principles. The notion of “personal liberty” and the collective action of defending common interests in the face of Ayn-Rand-inspired notions that every American is solely responsible for their own happiness and well-being. This idea forms the basis of our health system – or its deficiency. The corona virus epidemic has hit the United States, so to speak we do not have a publicly funded global health system. According to the US Government’s message to Americans, you own health insurance and health care wherever you are, unless you fall below the poverty line, disability or over 65 years of age. As soon as the Corona virus novel entered the film, the vulnerabilities of this paradoxical, erratic, profit-oriented and apparently horrific system were exposed as never before in recent memory.
Now, a similarly flawed organization is expected to carry out a mass vaccination program for a suspected public, while struggling to treat the ever-growing number of COVID-19 patients in need of hospitalization.
Because vulnerable people (children, adults and the elderly with vaccine allergies) are protected, true herd immunity can only be achieved if enough people are vaccinated. Vaccines not only protect the people who take them; They provide collective protections for society as a whole. People who are conditioned to think of health as a personal concern are hard pressed to swallow such an idea. Think of the mask deniers among us.
As a journalist, every time I address the vaccination suspicion on my broadcast show, I get a disgusting hate mail saying that I am too stupid to see a shill or light for the “big pharma”. But misinformation, fear and personal thinking cannot be allowed to discourage reporting on this issue. In some ways, vaccines have become victims of their own success. As we live in a world (up to this year) where mass vaccination is achievable, preventable, but devastating diseases like smallpox and rubella, many Americans have underestimated the potential quality of life through vaccination efforts.
The good news is that new polls show growing support for the vaccine amid a measurable rate of COVID-19 infections and deaths. According to a new survey, 63 percent of Americans are now ready to be vaccinated — close to the minimum threshold for preventing the spread of the disease. Outreach and educational efforts are underway to adopt vaccines in Black and Latin communities severely affected by the disease. Unfortunately, those who refuse to be vaccinated among us will continue to benefit from living in a largely vaccinated community, shutting down the herd immunity that they refuse to contribute to.
This article was produced by the Economy for All project, an independent media organization.