It is time for us to roll up our sleeves and take our medicine. That is the only way we will put the pandemic behind us. We are fortunate to have a vaccine.
Indiana is lagging behind 42 other states and the national average of people who are fully vaccinated. Bartholomew County is also lagging behind, with only about 30% of the county’s residents fully vaccinated.
Local, state, and national health officials are worried that we will fail to reach herd immunity due to vaccine hesitancy. That could translate into another spike in cases and deaths. It will prolong what we have endured now for over a year.
I’m not a big fan of needles. I want to take the absolute least amount of medicine in my life. But I made my appointments, rolled up my sleeve and got both doses.
The only side effect is that I now seem to be an opinionated know-it-all, but my friends and colleagues assure me that is not a new symptom. Actually, my shoulder was a little sore for a few days. Other than that, I had zero side effects.
I take advice about my health from the professionals. Social media and pundits with no medical expertise have fanned the flames of uncertainty. It’s not a partisan or political thing to me — it just makes good sense.
Mayo Clinic advises: “You should get a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as it’s available to you. COVID-19 cases are still widespread and shifting, and the vaccines that we’re recommending have been approved for safe use. Continue practicing all safety recommendations until further guidance from public health officials.”
That seems like sound, reasonable advice from the world leaders in healthcare.
If you won’t take the word of Mayo Clinic, maybe you’ll listen to Johns Hopkins: “Considering the impact on lives, the large number of hospitalizations and deaths, and high number of people with remaining long-term health issues after they recover from COVID-19, we believe the risks of vaccination are small compared with the large individual and societal benefit of getting the vaccination and preventing cases of COVID-19.”
We each need to make this decision for ourselves, but I will take the word of Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins over commentators on cable, internet trolls, and other fear mongers.
And there is no doubt in my mind that some pundits and politicians have secretly gotten vaccinated while publicly casting doubt on the vaccines.
It also strikes me as funny that we may be reluctant to get the vaccine, but are still willing to put things in our bodies we know are terrible for us — like cheeseburgers, greasy french fries, and diet cola by the gallon.
Of course there are exceptions. And we should each seek the advice of our doctor or another qualified medical professional about whether or not to get the vaccine.
But for the vast majority of us, the only way out of the pandemic is to get to that herd immunity.
I don’t follow the advice of the pretty but dumb people without medical degrees that read the news. They tell us half-truths, misinterpret or fail to understand medical studies, and create uncertainty.
I also refuse to follow the medical advice of random posts on social media. One of the more ridiculous notions is that Bill Gates is using the vaccine to implant tracking microchips. That is tinfoil hat conspiracy theory nonsense. What would Bill have to gain from that? Money? I think he already has plenty of money.
I am realistic about my ability to change anyone’s mind. Those who don’t like what I write probably haven’t read to the end of this column and are already posting a terribly witty retort on social media worthy of Oscar Wilde.
What can we do then? Gently urge our friends, family, and neighbors to get the vaccine. Tell them that you love them and want to be around for a long time. Tell them you got the vaccine and you feel fine.
If you think getting the vaccine makes me a sheep, all I can say is: “baa baa.” At least I’ll still be bleating.
Aaron Miller is one of The Republic’s community columnists and all opinions expressed are those of the writer. He has a doctorate in history and is an associate professor of history at Ivy Tech Community College — Columbus. Send comments to editorial@therepublic.com.
