Why Blacks should be vaccinated against COVID-19 | Opinion | warrenrecord.com – warrenrecord.com

The COVID-19 pandemic has been around for one year. It has been a devastating disease particularly in the Black community. During this time, there have been over 28 million documented cases in the United States and hundreds of thousands of deaths. Sadly, although Blacks make up 12 percent of the population and 12.2 percent of cases of COVID-19, they account for 16 percent of COVID-19 deaths. This level of disparity is not seen in other ethnic groups. Thus, medical intervention is needed to mitigate this disparity.

There is no cure or treatment for COVID-19. To stop the spread of COVID-19, governmental policies are needed to address the inequities in the physical environment, housing, occupation, education, and economic stability that increase the risk of exposure to COVID-19 for racial and ethnic minority groups. On an individual level, hand washing, social distancing and face covering are necessary. The recent emergency use authorizations of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines provide new tools to prevent COVID-19.

Many Blacks are reluctant to take the COVID-19 vaccines for good reasons and false information. The medical mistreatment of Blacks is well documented in the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment and the Eugenics program, both done from the 1930s to the 1970s.

I am here to say that much has changed in medical research. Informed consent is now required prior to research, and transparency is ongoing during the research. In the past, there were no Black researchers. Today, both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were developed by Black doctors. Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, a native of Hillsboro and chairwoman of the Vaccine Research Center at NIH, not only developed the Moderna vaccine, but fine-tuned a new technology to expedite vaccine making. She made Warp Speed possible. Dr. Onyema Ogbuagu, director of COVID-19 research at Yale Medical Center, developed the Pfizer vaccine. The process of making the vaccine was very transparent, and research protocols were followed without the omission of any steps. The rapid release of the vaccine occurred because of the research of Dr. Corbett.

False information on social media should be ignored. Dont believe that COVID-19 is 5G toxicity, or the vaccine inserts a microchip for controlling and tracking your every move. I urge you to listen to Dr. Fauci and his team, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the health department and other credible physicians.

We are further reassured about the safety and quality of the vaccine because our own Dr. Pennie Hylton of Warren County directs Biomedical Advance Research and Development Authority, the HHS Agency that is responsible for the quality and safety of every batch of vaccine that is made in the US.

Both the Pfizer and Moderna Vaccines are 94/95 percent efficacious with minimal temporary side effects. Individuals with severe allergic reactions should seek individual care from a physician. To date, over 26,000 vaccines have been administered without a single death reported. Compare this to COVID-19. There are over 28 million cases and over 500,000 deaths. The vaccines are very effective in preventing COVID-19, while the risk of dying from COVID-19 is high if not vaccinated. Thus, the benefits of the vaccine clearly outweigh the risks.

For these reasons, I decided to be vaccinated. I received my COVID-19 vaccination on Feb 5. I encourage everyone to get vaccinated. It is easy to schedule an appointment to get vaccinated, although you may have to call more than once or leave a message for a return call. Phone numbers to call for an appointment: Warren County: 252-257-1185; Vance/Granville: 252-492-7915; Franklin: 919-496-2533.

In a pandemic, everyone can become infected. If over 70 percent of the population is vaccinated, a state of herd immunity will exist and, thus, the community/country will be protected from the disease. The health of everyone is interconnected. Thus, the health of the least of us determines our health.

Get vaccinated to protect yourself, your loved ones and your community!

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Why Blacks should be vaccinated against COVID-19 | Opinion | warrenrecord.com - warrenrecord.com