- Medical experts estimate between 70–90 percent of the population will need to be vaccinated before we can reach “herd immunity” in the United States.
- People who are refusing to get a COVID-19 vaccine are increasing their risk of contracting and transmitting the virus.
- They could also be potentially prolonging the pandemic, contributing to spikes in cases and giving the virus more opportunities to mutate.
As epidemiologists have said from the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, a vaccine is the only true way to eventually resume much of life as we knew it.
Now, more than a year later, there are several vaccines against COVID-19 circulating rapidly through the U.S. population.
As more people get vaccinated against the coronavirus, research continues to show the shots are safe for people and effective at preventing them from developing severe cases of COVID-19, namely those that end in death.
While access may still be an issue for some, the expected increase in production, as well as distribution by agencies like the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the National Guard, will make COVID-19 vaccination for many people a reality soon.
“We have a ways to go,” Dr. Jonathan Leizman, chief medical officer at Premise Health, told Healthline.
People are sighing in heavy relief after getting their shots. Even pins and T-shirts are available on popular websites to proudly declare the wearer is fully vaccinated.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) keep updating its guidelines to let people who are fully vaccinated know that, yes, you can now hang out indoors with fully vaccinated people without social distancing or wearing masks and the risk is very low.
Still, some people are convinced the shots aren’t for them and say they won’t get them when it’s their turn. Although surveys show vaccine hesitancy is going down, it remains a concerning issue.
It’s something federal authorities are attempting to tackle through a new ad campaign.
Source: healthline