With an average daily death toll of over 3,000 Americans and 25,000 daily new infections, the COVID-19 pandemic has entered a new phase of accelerated spread since this holiday season. In North Carolina, there has been an average of 8,032 cases per day and a daily average of 90 deaths. To date at least 659,840 North Carolinians have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and 7,933 have died.
The uncertainties and emerging information surrounding the novel coronavirus, lack of directional leadership, distrust in public health institutions have made the prevention efforts more challenging. The good news is that there are viable vaccine options approved in the United States. The FDA has approved two vaccines to prevent COVID-19 ― Pfizer and Moderna ― and more vaccines are on the way. However, vaccine hesitancy, misinformation, baseless conspiracy theories are hindering prevention and control efforts.
A recent Gallup poll also showed that about 35 percent of Americans would not get free, FDA-approved vaccine if ready today. This issue stands to undermine the broader herd immunity effort that will ultimately turn the page on the COVID-19 era. Public health officials should address vaccine hesitancy by educating the public about vaccines so that people can make informed decisions.
Unfounded conspiracy theories aside, there are legitimate concerns about the new coronavirus vaccines that need to be addressed. Many people are concerned about the fast-tracked development and regulatory approval process, and are uncertain about the potential side effects of the two vaccines currently approved for use in the United States.
The development of vaccines has followed the usual rigorous review process — only faster. The regulatory process was massively accelerated (justifiably) and hundreds of billions of dollars invested from the private and public sectors were invested to secure expedited approval. This investment, along with a large number of volunteers for clinical trials, the high prevalence of cases to study, and innovative technologies are among the reasons why a vaccine is available today.
Clinical trials have been carried out since June 2020 and the vaccines on the market today have been found both efficacious and safe. Out of millions of doses administered to date, the frequency of severe adverse effects has been quite low. That’s not to say there aren’t concerns—people with severe food allergies are advised not to receive the virus at this time. If there were major issues with adverse side effects from either of the approved vaccines, we would have started to see them by now. That’s not to say that unforeseen issues and potential side-effects aren’t possible as vaccines are administered to billions of people worldwide. The clinical trials conducted on new potential vaccines include tens of thousands of people, but these samples cannot capture the diversity of the U..S population. This is why there is no vaccine currently approved for people under 16 years old—the trials which established the safety and efficacy of the vaccines thus far focused on adults.
There is usually some risk associated with any technology or therapy in medicine ― especially new ones that were developed in a hurry. As we continue to collect and analyze data on tens of millions of vaccinated individuals in the U.S., we will be able to make continually better-informed decisions about the use and potential side effects of the new vaccines. However, with the information we have at this time, the risk-reward trade-off is clear: with the exceptions of those with severe allergies and other vulnerable groups, the vaccine is a low-risk option to dramatically reduce your potential to contract COVID-19, and to reduce the risk that you will spread it to others.
Health officials can help earn the trust of the public with transparency and clarity about how the safety and efficacy of the vaccines are established and continually monitored as part of the roll-out process.
This process of educating and informing people on this issue is a vital part of the vaccine effort in the U.S.
Brook Alemu is an assistant professor of Health Sciences in the College of Health and Human Sciences at Western Carolina University, and Patrick Baron is an assistant professor and director of the WCU Health Sciences Program. Both are trained public health epidemiologists.
