Covid-19 Vaccination: Ethics, Efficacy, and Public Approval - Part 1
Part one of a three-part series
As of July 2020, there have been more than 15 million global cases and over 600,000 worldwide deaths from Covid-19 (World Health Organization, 2020). The United States has greater than four million confirmed cases and has recorded 150,000 deaths (WHO, 2020). Covid-19 continues to change the landscape of life as we know it, as states continue to implement orders to mandate masks and social distancing outdoors and in brick-and-mortar establishments. School districts are developing plans to safely return to schools by proposing hybrid and virtual learning environments. Can a Covid-19 vaccine allow life to safely return to a new normal?
A poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research estimated that only half of Americans would agree to get a Covid-19 vaccine if one became available (Neergaard & Fingerhut, 2020). Vaccines have been a hot topic since long before Covid-19, so it is not surprising that there would be public dissent. If only half the population gets the vaccine, is it worth it? Is herd immunity ever possible in the United States? Will the vaccine successfully prevent Covid-19? Will the vaccine have side effects that are so undesirable that even less than half of Americans get the vaccine? We are in a new world where scientists are frantically trying to answer all these questions when not everyone is receptive to hearing evidence-based information.
Americans feel very strongly about whether or not they will get a Covid-19 vaccine. Even “pro- vaxxers” are afraid of a brand-new vaccine. Many feel the vaccine is being rushed, is a political topic, and/or is meant to be a money maker for big pharma. Among those polled who stated they would not get the vaccine, four out of ten believed they could get Covid-19 from the shot. In reality, the vaccine will be inactive, meaning it will not contain the virus and therefore cannot infect the individual receiving the vaccine (Neergaard & Fingerhut, 2020).
There are currently twenty-seven potential vaccines for Covid-19 in trials (Corum et al., 2020). Part Two of this series will focus on what the scientists claim is the safe process through which the Covid-19 Vaccine is being developed.
Resources
Corum, J., Grady, D., Wee, S., & Zimmer, C. (2020, June 10). Coronavirus Vaccine Tracker. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/science/coronavirus-vaccine- tracker.html
Neergaard, L., & Fingerhut, H. (2020, May 27). AP-NORC poll: Half of Americans would get a COVID-19 vaccine. Retrieved from https://apnews.com/dacdc8bc428dd4df6511bfa259cfec44
World Health Orgnization. (2020). Coronavirus disease - Situation Report 185. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/situation-reports/20200723-covid- 19-sitrep-185.pdf?sfvrsn=9395b7bf_2