to vaccinate Microchips, human remains, and trackers: These ideas would make any discussion about biology exponentially more exciting. The news of a newly approved COVID-19 vaccine was the light at the end of a long, dark tunnel. After almost a year of COVID flipping our whole upside down, and claiming the lives of over 500,000, this news was thought to be welcomed by Americans, as it signifies a looming return to our normal world. However, it was met with a whirlwind of criticism, some justified, and some that can only be labeled as conspiratorial. The biggest call for concern surrounding the COVID vaccine was the swiftness with which it came out. Typically, vaccines take a much longer time to be developed and approved, so it’s understandable that some people might feel that the creation process wasn’t quality. Luckily for us all, the claims that the COVID-19 vaccines weren’t developed with enough caution are almost entirely baseless. The vaccines have received emergency approval from the FDA, and yes, that is different from the normal FDA approval process, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that the vaccines didn’t receive a comprehensive review. “The entire process went faster than usual for explainable reasons, but still followed the usual steps for testing and review. The most important reasons for speed: modern scientific tools are faster than old ones, and there was a worldwide effort to reduce or remove the usual barriers and delays in vaccine research, production and distribution,” writes Kara Gavin, of the University of Michigan Health Policy and Innovation, in an article about the vaccine. The vaccine has also already had tremendous success rates, with little to no signs of complication. In fact, according to the New
England Journal of Medicine, both the Moderna and the Pfizer vaccine have around a 95% success rate in trials, which is impressive given the speed of its delivery. Despite theories that may be circulating, there really is no empirical basis for the potential threat of the vaccine. “A large number of ordinary people volunteered for clinical trials of the vaccines, which meant we got the answers to key questions about safety and protection quickly,” Gavin. The previous arguments all had some merit to them, but there are others circulating around social media which seem to devolve in comparison to the concerns of scientists and professionals. Some feel that the covid vaccine is simply a front for some sort of conspiracy plotted by the government, and while there’s variation on what exactly the end goal might be (microchipping, population control, etc.) all of them are undermined with one simple idea: How could any government possibly pull that off? While questioning the effectiveness of a vaccine is one thing, arguing that it has a malicious intent is entirely another. A ploy masked by a vaccine simply has too many moving parts to pull off. A skeptic eye for Big Pharma, or even the bureaucracy at the FDA is valid, but these groups aren’t the only with influence over the vaccines. Independent researchers and both public and private health establishments have had part in the creation and deployment of the vaccine. The bottom line when it comes to the vaccine, is that there is a responsible and beneficial choice we can all make to do our part in stopping the spread of COVID-19, and minimize the number of lives lost. We’re all itching to return to our normal lives, so taking a vaccine that is proven to be effective feels like
“there is a responsible and beneficial choice we can all make to do our part.”
by AMY GRAHAM
phase 1b tier 3 able to get the vaccine on March 15 in Missouri
who is included in this tier? - education - childcare - communications - energy -food/agriculture - government - information tech
-nuclear reactors, materials, and waste - transportation systems -water and wastewater
OPINION 11
phsouthnews.com
