Friends, this virus has been prevalent in the U.S. for nine months now. It has changed everything. The way our children learn, the way we worship, the way we interact with the general public and numerous other ways.
By the time this is published, I hope the FDA has approved emergency authorization for a vaccine.
I’ve seen and heard a lot of things about this vaccine, most of it untrue.
The Moderna and Pfizer vaccine trials had a combined 100,000 participants. Each vaccine has been demonstrated to be safe and incredibly effective.
In a perfect world, I would prefer more than six months of safety data. But this is 2020 and we are facing the greatest health crisis in over a century.
There are side effects of taking any vaccine. It’s called an immune response. It’s creating the necessary antibodies/proteins to kill the virus.
Any of these side effects are preferable to the agonizing death suffered by victims of COVID-19. I’ve sadly had to observe this more times than I care to discuss.
I implore each of you to find your humanity and to take this vaccine when offered.
Do it for the immunocompromised special needs child. Do it for my colleague who is fighting cancer. Do it for the greatest generation; there are so precious few of them left. Do it for your parents and grandparents.
Do it for the soon-to-be first-time mother, scared to death about a pregnancy and this plague. Do it for your uncle that needs heart surgery, but can’t because the hospitals are full.
Do it for the frontline health care workers. We’re all absolutely beat to heck. The system is overwhelmed and people are dying from health issues which are normally treatable. I’ve witnessed this firsthand very recently.
Lastly, do it for yourself. This all has to end.
When I practiced in Pontotoc, I got to know a drug rep-turned-pastor, Brian Sansing. We were talking one day, and something he said stood out to me. He said, “To get the world back on track, we just need to help our fellow man.”
That’s what we have to do. We’ve got to act for the weakest of us so we all may be saved.
This vaccine is effective. It will save lives. It is safe. It will be available soon.
Please get vaccinated.
God bless.
Dr. Rob Carter is a staff physician at Tallahatchie General Hospital and Charleston Clinic in Charleston, Mississippi.
