Impressions
To Jab or Not to Jab ? by Dr . Stephen T . Radack III , Editor
As I read the ADA Morning Huddle today , it struck me when I saw the COVID-19 statistics , why is that even a question that needs to be asked ? A year and half into this pandemic there have been over 45 million cases of COIVD-19 reported and over 700,000 deaths in the United States . In Pennsylvania alone there have been over 1.5 million cases and almost 31,000 deaths .
There has been a vaccine approved for almost year . Following initial emergency approval , this past summer all three COVID-19 vaccines — Pfizer , Moderna and Johnson & Johnson — received full FDA approval . As of this writing , only 57.8 % of Americans are fully vaccinated , and in our state the numbers are only slightly better statistically at 60.1 %. With new variants continuing to extend the pandemic why haven ’ t more folks taken advantage of the vaccine , the fruits of Operation Warp Speed and American tax dollars ?
The question is certainly perplexing to many . I know most dentists and their staff members jumped at the chance to get vaccinated early this year when the PA Department of Health included dentistry as one of the first groups to receive the “ jab .” The ADA Health Policy Institute reported in July that 90 % of the dentists surveyed said they were fully vaccinated . In our office , only 2 of the 10 staff members chose not to get the vaccine . One is a dental hygienist and the other a non-clinical person . Ironically , that latter staff member has had several members of her family get COVID and her father pass away from complications of COVID .
I remember back in late spring when the indoor mask mandates were lifted in PA . I have to believe we all felt a little strange walking into a store and NOT wearing that mask after over a year of doing so . The universal sign that replaced “ masks required ” on front doors said “ if you are vaccinated – no mask , but mask up if not vaxxed !” When I walked into Lowe ’ s that first day without a mask , I noticed that only a few folks in the store were wearing masks , and most of them were store employees . Hmm … with Erie County having a vaccination rate at or lower than the state rate at the time , I was thinking half of the folks in Lowe ’ s that day should have had a mask on . I would not want to be the unlucky employee who gets to be the mask police , but I am not sure the “ honor system ” worked in these cases . If it did , I have to wonder if the Delta variant really would have caught fire and spread the way it did .
The vaccine was supposed to be the start of the end of the pandemic . Did anyone believe a year ago that we would still be hearing about cases , hospitalizations and even deaths every day ? The president and administration have urged all eligible folks to get vaccinated , and now he even went as far as to propose that OSHA mandate all employees in businesses with over 100 employees be vaccinated . Many employers , such as colleges and universities , the NFL and airlines have already instituted vaccine mandates for all or some levels of their workforces .
Would we still be urging people to get vaccinated if the vaccine would not have been so politicized a year ago during the 2020 presidential election ? Last October the current vice president said during a televised debate that if President Trump announced a COVID vaccine she would NOT take it . President Biden was not so blunt , but said he would trust doctors and public health experts with regard to the vaccine , noting that Trump had already made outrageous comments related to the virus . After January 20 , 2021 , the vaccine was OK and we should all go get it !
Did any of this politics affect the vaccination rates ? I don ’ t know . Are there skeptical citizens who will never take the vaccine ? I am sure there are . I have heard people say it was “ rushed ” and don ’ t trust it . Others say it is something the U . S . government is using to track us . There are also those who don ’ t like being told what to do by anyone ! Will the vaccination rate ever climb higher that it currently is ? Will COVID ever go away or will we learn to manage it and accept some form of the current status quo as the new normal ? To jab or not to jab ? That will continue to be the question as the pandemic goes on .
— STR3
NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021 | PENNSYLVANIA DENTAL JOURNAL 5