The creation, distribution and delivery of the COVID-19 vaccine has caused a surge in anti-vaccination movements. Those against the COVID-19 vaccinations have been outspoken about their beliefs, even protesting at vaccination sites, such as Dodger Stadium. Although those who do not wish to get the COVID-19 vaccinations do not have to, these vaccinations are necessary for reopening establishments and ensuring the health of communities.
Put simply, vaccines are injections of antigenic substances designed to build immunity to a certain virus. Vaccines are commonly used for potentially fatal viruses such as the flu, measles and now COVID-19. Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, anti-vaxxers have claimed that vaccines such as the MRR vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella are linked to toxins that cause autism. This false correlation garnered attention because it was published in a research paper titled The Lancet. Since then, this claim has been debunked by Danish researchers who conducted a study that found out of 650,000 children who received the MRR vaccine, less than 1 percent showed signs of autism. Vaccines are designed to be effective in providing immunity to viruses and are essential to ending the COVID-19 pandemic.
The COVID-19 vaccine has received significant backlash due to the newness of the vaccine. Because of the recency of the development of the vaccine, as well as the approval by the FDA, many feel that long-term impacts of the vaccine are unknown, and therefore, could be dangerous. However, the COVID-19 vaccine is not as new as many believe it to be. Researchers have known about SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, since outbreaks of variations of SARS-CoV-2 happened in 2002. According to the CDC, this vaccine has been in the works prior to the outbreak of COVID-19 and has been approved by the FDA because of the safety it upholds.
Members of the Black and Latinx communities specifically have been reluctant to get vaccinated for COVID-19, due to racist health policies that have targeted Black and Latinx communities in the past. These communities were put at risk in the Tuskegee Experiments, which experimented on Black and Latinx communities without informed consent. Mistrust for new vaccines especially has impacted the rates at which Black and Latinx communities opt to receive the vaccine. However, it is important for everyone to receive the COVID-19 vaccination in order to help ensure the community’s health and for the chance to reopen.
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