Covid - 19: Vaccine Ethics, Efficacy, and Public Approval PART 3
Can a vaccine solve all our problems? Is it possible to mass produce a brand-new vaccine that is being rushed to the market in hopes of quelling our generation’s most dangerous pandemic? There are more questions than answers at this point. Individuals that tested positive for Covid-19 have antibodies, but they may lose those antibodies (which protect them from contracting the virus) and become susceptible to the virus for a second time. Could this happen even after vaccination? Most vaccines take years to safely develop, so that they may safely and ethically test the results and answer all possible questions.
As mentioned in the last blog, two companies are entering Phase Three in the Clinical Development Stage of their trials. Large groups are receiving the vaccine and will be followed in order to see that the vaccine is successful in preventing a Covid-19. Many are unsure if they will get the vaccine, and it is quite possible that if the vaccine is shown to cause side effects, it will push those who are undecided over the edge into the refusal category. While the rush for the vaccine is making many nervous about the safety and efficacy, Dr. Stanley Plotkins (2020) of the University of Pennsylvania published an article in the journal, Vaccine, stating “Developing and distributing an efficacious vaccine as quickly as possible is a moral imperative for the world.”
America’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, is optimistic that a vaccine will be ready by early 2021. While this could be considered promising, a recent Gallup Poll completed between July 20, 2020 and August 2, 2020 showed that 35% of Americans have already stated they will not get a free, FDA approved vaccine. Interestingly, the poll showed that opinions on receiving the vaccine had political undertones. 81% of Democrats polled were willing to be vaccinated while 47% of Republicans were willing to be vaccinated. The highest percentages of those willing to be vaccinated were in the youngest, 18-29-year-old age group, and the oldest, 65 and older age group. White Americans are also more likely to get the vaccine when compared with non-white Americans. Those that live in cities and suburbs are more likely to get vaccinated than the rural American population. (O’Keefe, 2020)
Unless a successful campaign is waged to get the American population as a whole to be vaccinated, herd immunity will never be achieved. It may be necessary to focus on alternative strategies. Aschwanden (2020) argues that contact tracing is a key method to slow Covid-19 and is badly underutilized in the United States. The main reason for this is that zero federal funding exists for contact tracing programs (Aschwanden, 2020). Contact tracing involves notification of a positive individual, followed by contacting all persons who may have had contact with the infected individual, and assisting them in quarantining for two weeks. Contact tracing programs in South Korea and Germany have been instrumental in suppressing Covid-19 (Aschwanden, 2020). This program is not without hurdles, as social media has spread falsehoods about contact tracing being used for malicious purposes.
Resources
Aschwanden, C. (2020, July 21). Contact Tracing, a Key Way to Slow COVID-19, Is Badly Underused by the U.S. Retrieved from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/contact-tracing-a-key-way-to-slow-covid-19-is-badly-underused-by-the-u-s/
O'Keefe, S. (2020, August 07). One in Three Americans Would Not Get COVID-19 Vaccine. Retrieved from https://news.gallup.com/poll/317018/one-three-americans-not-covid-vaccine.aspx
Plotkin, S. A., & Caplan, A. (2020). Extraordinary diseases require extraordinary solutions. Vaccine, 38(24), 3987-3988. doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2020.04.039