Correct. One of the things I’ve heard express their concern is that somehow cells can incorporate this genetic material from the mRNA and it will stay there permanently. What is really important to know is that the messenger RNA that is injected disintegrates. It doesn’t become part of your genes; it is transient.
We have been given so many reasons to distrust the previous administration, especially when it comes to treating the pandemic. And besides, there are many marginalized communities (black Americans and other people of color, the LGBTQ + community, imprisoned people) that the “medical establishment” has ignored or been actively harmed in the past. How can you trust the information they hear about vaccines?
A lot of damage has been done. Prior to January 20, the federal government did not receive a lot of accurate and responsible messages about the coronavirus and I think this has been incorporated into people’s ideas about the vaccine. We saw an unprecedented level of political interference in the work of the FDA and the CDC, and we had leaders who did not follow science or act in a way rooted in the evidence. That is why a significant part of the country still does not believe that the pandemic is so serious or that the masks work. There’s a lot of misinformation, and it’s incredibly important that my medical colleagues and I be out there and that our voices are amplified so that the public can hear reliable science-based messages.
This idea of hesitation of the vaccine, I like to rethink it more as one of institutional trust. Institutions have a history of exploitation and abuse of marginalized communities. Because of the urgency of this moment, there’s an urge to tell people, “Get the vaccine” and you really can’t do it. We need to make sure that we provide information to people in a culturally sensitive and deeply digestible way so that they can answer their questions to people they trust. Some people may not trust the “institution” of health care, but they do trust their individual health care providers, their professional nurses, and their doctors. Trusted messengers from the community (religious leaders, barbers, and community organizers) also do a huge health promotion, especially to black communities and other communities of color.
This is what systemic racism does. It explodes and abuses, and when it comes time to seek attention those communities that have been disproportionately impacted due to racism, people are suspicious. This story he mentions — Tuskegee, Henrietta Lacks, “Mississippi Appendectomies” —there is a certain percentage of the population, most older black Americans who remember it. But I also think we can’t forget the ongoing discrimination that blacks face when they currently relate to the health care system. It is not only what happened in the past, but also the present.
Another institution that many consider unreliable is the pharmaceutical industry, which has paid off billions of dollars in settlements for fraudulent marketing and setbacks to health care providers. Modern cannot be considered Big Pharma—they have only been in existence for ten years, and this vaccine is the first drug it has put on the market, but Pfizer is true. Why should we trust private companies when it comes to public health?
I understand the concerns and will say that I am overwhelmed by the data we have seen. The flu vaccine is 40 to 60% effective, and to get an emergency permit, a vaccine needs 50% effectiveness. Moderna and Pfizer shots are 94 to 95% effective. This is almost a miracle. Always think about the risks and benefits, and while institutions have proven unreliable in the past, we find ourselves in a situation where we can’t afford to say no to the vaccine. The only way people will be able to see their loved ones again, travel and see a newborn cousin is by actually getting this vaccine.