Pandemic Diary: Take the Shot
The Vaccine Rollout May Be Slow, But The Time for Skepticism is Past
Matt Borow posted a photo on Facebook announcing he’d “Just received(his) COVID-19 immunization!” // Borow works in healthcare. On the administrative side. I’ve known him for years. // He received the Pfizer vaccine, one of two approved in the United States and one of several being used world wide. He will get his booster shot in three weeks. // “I was glad my... office was chosen,” he says via email. His healthcare company, which runs numerous medical practices and hospitals in the Northeast, made it optional. “I always knew that I wanted to get the vaccine.” // Borow said the process at his facility was smooth and simple. Others have not been as lucky. The roll out both nationally and internationally has been slow. Chaotic. Has hit potholes. // New York City is lagging, as are many European nations. There remains skepticism. Fear. The rollout was too quick, some say. Others are glad to move to the back of the line. And there remains a massive bloc of anti-vaxxers pushing conspiracies. // In Wisconsin, a pharmacist sabotages about 500 doses. Fears the vaccine will alter DNA (https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/01/05/world/covid-19-coronavirus/pharmacist-accused-of-sabotaging-vaccine-doses-is-a-conspiracy-theorist-police-say). // Others fear microchips. Autism. Government control. The vaccines, they say, are not natural. Don’t really work. Our immune systems need the challenge. Are better at fighting disease. // This is anti-science. Ahistorical. Maddening. Vaccines are safe. They work. // I’m planning to get the vaccine when it’s my turn, I tell my doctor. He’s been inoculated. Most of his office has, too. And the senior facilities at which he provides care. // “The value in it is that now I don’t have to worry that I’ll give it to my wife or kids,” he says. His office doesn’t see sick patients. But he’s a doctor. It means he is more exposed than most. “The vaccine helps protect me from COVID. That’s the selfish part. But it also protects others because now I can’t transmit it.” // The studies are clear he says. The vaccines offer immunity. It’s not clear for how long, he says, but stopping or slowing the spread is important. It can change the trajectory of the pandemic. // Borow says he researched he vaccines. Read up on their ingredients and development process. Is confident. “I would encourage (everyone) to get the vaccine to protect themselves and others.”