February 3, 2021

Progress

As of today, 27.5 million people in the US have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, which passes the number of documented COVID-19 infections here. It is a milestone that brings hope with it. Yes, the variants are worrisome, but for now the vaccines bring promise. Indeed, already nursing home cases of COVID-19 have been cut in half in just 4 weeks. And that is with a slow vaccine roll out that included lots of vaccine hesitancy from the frontline workers.

As frustrating as the start of rolling out the vaccines has been, vaccine hesitancy will ultimately be a bigger hurdle. We have lots of work to do. Many seniors are not so keen on the idea of a vaccine so they will need education too to help them realize the importance and safety of the vaccine. This article has some good advice when talking with your parents or other elderly relatives about why the vaccine is a good idea. The best response seems to be “it will help us return to normal and we can visit again safely”. This new data on the decrease in infections in nursing and the vey good safety data can help ease fears.

We can address the other fears people have about the vaccines, including the rumor that it causes infertility. It doesn’t. This article has a good explanation and explodes the social media myth. There is an active attempt on social media to spread these rumors and thus decrease uptake. We all need to be aware and work towards better evidenced based thinking, helping others see the evidence as well.

We all need to spread the word about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccines and educated people so they understand the system more. Only with vaccines can we slow the spread and protect ourselves and open up schools and the economy again.

Wash your hands, cover your nose, keeps safe six, and watch for rumors and disinformation.

And finally, my caveat is that this is my experience and my opinions, which are subject to change as more information is available, and not related to the organization I work for. Thanks for reading.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/health/covid-vaccine-states-distribution-doses/

https://www.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6

https://www.mcknights.com/news/nursing-home-coronavirus-cases-nearly-cut-in-half-in-four-weeks/

https://www.mcknightsseniorliving.com/home/columns/editors-columns/information-to-arm-you-against-vaccine-hesitancy-among-older-adults/

https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/the-covid-19-vaccine-does-not-cause-infertility-as-social-media-myths-are-claiming/

https://www.axios.com/vaccine-hesitancy-covid-coronavirus-immunity-21f53c70-0716-4775-aebd-730a1b12fc77.html

https://www.mdlinx.com/news/the-truth-about-the-covid-19-vaccines/4FqzM31yY9d7xLV9J9fKrw