Covid-19 is a disease that came into existence around the end of 2019. It is a virus that has caused about 4.8 million deaths all around the world so far. The disease is easily contagious, through the mouth or nose, and because of this, it developed into a worldwide pandemic, which made everyone have to quarantine for over a year until restrictions were lifted. The pandemic caused many questions and theories, and the people want answers. Since Covid-19 is a significantly new disease, professionals in the health area had to start acting fast when it broke out. As the pandemic continues to evolve and new variants continue to appear, professionals must keep on delivering excellent care to the people, and as for the population, we need to trust them. People tend to trust science. About 73% of Americans say science has had a mostly positive effect on our society. Because of this, proven information is vital during this period since they need some kind of hope to keep going.
During this time, there have been countless theories and rumors about the disease. According to researchers, at least 800 people have died because of misinformation related to COVID-19, and that information is mostly spread by what we call “anti-vaxxers”. As the name states, those are the people who are opposed to the vaccine and usually share their opinions on the internet in an attempt to convince others against taking it. The opposition to vaccination isn’t new: when vaccines were first introduced, it was normal for people to refuse vaccination. Usually, their claims would regard religion, sanitation, politics, how fast the vaccines were created, etc, and they use the virtual world as their platform, which I would say are valid due to the time period. However, because of scientific discoveries and advancements in the area, there are no reasons not to take the vaccine. Studies have shown that the Covid-19 vaccine prevents people from becoming seriously ill or even dying, the spread of the virus and continuation of the pandemic, variants that are usually stronger, and has many more other advantages. The only cons found on the Covid-19 would be the temporary side effects.
As seen on the graph shown on the left, studies have proven that 37.4% of unvaccinated people die of COVID-19, while only 0.8% pass away after turning21 and taking the 2nd dose. This graph successfully and accurately shows the effectiveness of the vaccine. These stats should be more than enough to serve as support for the question: “Why should people get the Covid-19 vaccine?”.
Some absurd claims are continuously being made by anti-vaxxers some of which don’t even make sense. Some myths and facts about the Covid-19 can be seen on CDC, the website for the center for diseases control and prevention. As for the actual claims made by the group choosing not to vaccinate, there are many, such as the government implementing a microchip inside of the vaccine, that the pharmaceutical industry may not be trusted, that the vaccine leads to other diseases, that it changes one's DNA, or even that the vaccines are not effective, which was, simply enough, proven wrong several times.
The anti-vaccination movement has as its goal to convince people to not take the Covid-19 vaccine, and they mostly use social media to do it, since it is now fundamentally the biggest source of news for every topic, especially among the younger generation, because the spread of fake news is at an all-time high and is extremely dangerous in situations that regard the health of millions of people. They target everyone: the pharmaceutical industry, healthcare professionals, and even politicians, and make their claims believable by dramatizing the vaccine’s side effects, which are, in fact, felt by almost everyone. Usually, anti-vaxxers reinforce their point until people listen, and studies have shown that unbiasing people is challenging in today’s society since health “beliefs” are deeply ingrained in our minds.
In conclusion, people should get the Covid-19 vaccine, as it does not do any long-term harm, and benefits those who take it in the long run. Despite the seemingly convincing information being spread by anti-vaxxers, the vaccines were made by professionals to help in the termination of the pandemic. There is proof of efficiency in its given purpose, and I, honestly, don't see why people would refuse to get it.
Awesome. It actually surprises me to know that some people were reluctant to be vaccinated.