*Disclaimer: this essay is not trying to tell you whether or not to get the vaccine, just to open your mind to different perspectives.*
Most people are quick to go get the various Covid vaccines. This is understandable because people want their lives to go back to normal and they want to have a sense of immunity from the virus that has killed so many. Plus, some people feel pressure to get the vaccine. How would you feel going against what everyone else in the country, including the government and news platforms, is telling you to do?
It’s natural for people to do what certified professionals tell them to do to “protect themselves,” especially in a time of panic and chaos. The question is, do you really know what you’re putting in your body? Do you really believe the creators of the vaccine have completed enough trials, testing, and experiments to ensure these vaccines are truly safe for you to take?
Many people are opposed to vaccinations in general, but here I’m focusing on the Covid vaccine in particular. One reason some are choosing not to get the vaccine is that some people, especially with J&J vaccine, have been experiencing blood clots and other side effects such as low or high blood pressure and fainting. According to a joint statement by the CDC and FDA,” more than 6.8 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine have been administered in the U.S. and the CDC and FDA are reviewing data involving six reported U.S. cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot in individuals after receiving the J&J vaccine.”
Also, many do not believe in getting the vaccine due to religious reasons. Louis Farrakhan, who heads the Nation of Islam, spoke out against the vaccine to his followers. “Don’t let them vaccinate you, with their history of treachery through vaccines, through medication. Are you listening? I say to the African presidents, do not take their medications! I say to those of us in America, we need to call a meeting of our skilled virologists, epidemiologists, students of biology and chemistry, and we need to look at not only what they give us. We need to give ourselves something better.” Farrakhan was speaking to Black Americans who historically have been lied to and manipulated by medical professionals. According to Fox News, he was also blocked from Twitter and Facebook for spreading Covid misinformation. Farrakhan ultimately compared the vaccines to the Kool-Aid from the Jim Jones mass-death tragedy in Guyana in 1978.
Then there is a large group of people who simply say they want to “wait and see” what happens. This is basically saying that they want to watch others get the vaccine and see what will happen to them to ensure that when they take it, they’re safe and not at risk of the vaccine harming them. “Behavioral science researchers know that establishing norms can lead to acceptance of products and could help persuade the watchful,” according to Sema Sgaier of the New York Times.
There is another set of those that will always refuse to get a Covid vaccine. They are being called “reluctants” or “refusers” and on average make up about 15% of the population. In a recent Washington Post-ABC News poll, only 7% of people ages 65 and over were refusers. That number doubled among people ages 40 to 64 (16 percent) and tripled among people ages 18 to 39 (22 percent). Refusers are less likely to be college educated or earn high incomes, and they’re more likely to watch Fox News.
The recently infected also feel like they don’t need a vaccine. It is believed that for about three month after infection the antibodies will provide immunity to Covid, but with new more deadly and spreadable strains of the virus out there, there is no saying whether one can still be infected with the new strains during that three month time period.
A large number of the reluctant group don’t want to take the vaccine because they don’t trust the government and believe there is an ulterior motive. There is one conspiracy theory out there that claims the Chinese government created the coronavirus vaccine to deal with overpopulation and it got out of control. Ever since the CDC released an article describing ways to survive a zombie apocalypse, many believe the vaccine is going to cause mutations and weird things to happen, such as turning into a zombie. It didn’t help the case when they released this article just a week after the vaccine was released. And, according to Nina Burleigh’s essay in The New York Times, “conspiracy theories and charges of fake news during the 2016 election cycle and the years that followed highlighted and promoted distrust in experts. ‘Make America great again’ is essentially the notion that if something was good enough for Gramps, it’s good enough for me. Among this crowd, good old common sense and growing resentment replaced respect for those with Ph. Ds.”
“40 percent said they wouldn’t accept a COVID shot because “I don’t trust the government.” These numbers match a CBS News poll taken last month, in which 28% of refusers and hesitaters combined, also said they didn’t trust the scientists and companies that make the vaccines. When the Harris Poll pressed the government-distrusting refusers to explain themselves—about 6 percent of the entire sample—most affirmed that ‘the government is filled with people with ulterior motives of manipulation and control.’ One in three affirmed that ‘the vaccine was developed to control the general population by injecting us with a microchip or tracking device.’”
In the end, President Biden has a goal of vaccinating about 70% of American by the 4th of July. That is a realistic goal but there still remains core groups of people that will be tough to convince.
The views, information, or opinions expressed in this piece are solely those of the author and do not represent those of The Jemicy School and its employees.
MOOSE PRINTS 