It takes all of us to end a pandemic
As we find ourselves facing another wave of covid-19 infections, we can also celebrate the fact that there is a safe, effective vaccine available for free to fight the virus and save lives. However, misinformation is keeping many from seeking the vaccine, leaving our local population vulnerable to the virus and its new and changing variants.
Residents of Muhlenberg County are unprepared for a wave of the highly contagious Delta variant of covid-19. Our vaccination rate has been stuck at roughly 35-40 percent for months, even though it is readily available for free, and without appointments at many locations around the county.
It’s a “pandemic of the unvaccinated”, CDC director Michelle Walensky recently said. And here at home, that mean us.
There are segments of the population who cannot receive the vaccine because they are too young or have health risks that prevent them from being an eligible candidate. We put them at an even higher level of risk when the rest of us refuse to get vaccinated, and we put a normal school year at risk as well.
There are reports of break-through cases, when people who have been vaccinated still get sick with covid-19. The vaccine does not guarantee immunity from the virus, but does significantly reduce the chance of being hospitalized or dying from covid-19. And the vaccine helps stop the spread because those with mild cases are not carrying enough of the virus to be contagious.
There are also wild stories and falsehoods being spread around social media, and these capture the imagination and cause people to fear a vaccine proven to be safe and effective. People believe the vaccine contains microchips, changes your DNA, or causes infertility, all of which have not been proven and some are outlandish conspiracies spun to create confusion.
There was a time when getting vaccinated was the patriotic thing to do. The nation pulled together to eradicate polio, mumps, measles, and small pox. These illnesses no longer pose a threat as they once did, because of vaccines.
There is a long list of vaccines we all must get in order to attend school or join the military, or to travel overseas. The covid-19 vaccine should be among those moments when the nation comes together to fight a pandemic.
As long as people refuse to get vaccinated, this virus will continue to spread and mutate. It thrives on our willfulness. The right to choose is inherently American, but so is the impulse to work together for the common good. It is time to make well informed choices and consider others when doing so.
If you have not received the vaccine, speak to your family and friends who have. Talk to your doctor about risks you might fear. The time is now, as more infectious and deadly variants begin to spread. We can do this together, but it takes all of us to end a pandemic.
