Catherine Toss Fox: How has your attitude towards the corona vaccine changed?

It was mid-March 2021 and I was sitting in a plastic chair at Ala Moana Center’s Longs Drags, waiting for the first dose of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine. I was very excited, very relieved, and actually cried.

at the time Only 18% of the state’s population received the first dose Of any vaccine. In Hawaii, a total of 28,081 cases (an average of 51 new cases per day) and 448 deaths have been reported. World wide, More than 116 million confirmed cases of Covid-19Includes 2.6 million deaths.

Wearing masks is still needed everywhere, schools have begun to implement hybrid learning in just a few months online, the state’s Safe Travels program has become fully effective, and many of us are slow (not reluctantly). But) I started to go back to the office. (Remember: this was just before the Delta Variant Surge.)

Although hotly debated, the Covid-19 vaccine was a heavenly blessing for many of us. The Covid people were really ill, suffered and died in the hospital. This was how we defeated the virus, how to get out of this catastrophic pandemic, and how to get back to some sort of normal state. I was very grateful for the vaccination — my mother is immunocompromised and my son has asthma — I didn’t understand why everyone missed the opportunity. And it was free!

Federal Pharmaceutical Agency Approved vaccine for children ages 5-11 Later that year, I made an appointment shortly a few days after my son’s fifth birthday. In my opinion, it was a gift of health, and what I wanted was herd immunity.

I thought every parent I knew would do the same.We protect our children from viruses Killed more than 600 children in this age group In the United States 13.6 million children tested positive For Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic.

After all, when it comes to vaccination of my children, I’m a minority.However More than a quarter of children between the ages of 5 and 11 According to the New York Times database, it is fully vaccinated in the United States. (59% of children aged 12 to 17 years.)

In October 2021 Survey from Kaiser FoundationMany parents who had not vaccinated their children raised concerns about potential long-term side effects, such as how the vaccine would affect their child’s future fertility.

The FDA has approved a vaccine for children under the age of 5 this week — and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention I recommend them. But I wonder how many of the 20 million eligible children in the United States will actually be vaccinated.

The tendency for vaccination seems to be weakening. According to the State Department 77.9% of the state’s eligible population is fully vaccinated.. And while the number of Covids today is much higher than when we returned in March 2021 (when I was waiting for the first shot), only 41.2% of the population received the first booster shot. rice field. % Second.

Are we satisfied? Or are we beyond Covid?

So I asked around. Most of my friends are vaccinated. However, some people are waiting to enroll their children with vaccines for more data, more information, and unavoidable reasons.

Then I was really interested.

I googled “Why are people against the Covid-19 vaccine?” The search yielded over 1.3 billion results.

Reasons ranged from general distrust of the government to concerns about the speed at which these vaccines were made. Some believe that Covid cannot kill young and healthy people. (It’s possible.) Some people think that the vaccine actually gives them Covid. (Not so.) And with the help of Bill Gates, some are convinced that the government is using vaccines as a way to transplant microchips. (interesting.)

Vaccine expectations changed with the emergence of mutants that appeared to be more resistant to immunity, breakthrough cases were reported, and some people were even infected with the virus multiple times. ..

Expecting the vaccine to eradicate the virus may have diminished, but the evidence that taking shots usually prevents severe illness and death is overwhelming.

The truth is The majority of people in a hospital with Covid-19 are not vaccinated.. Therefore, obviously the vaccine works. And unless more people are vaccinated, we will never reach a nasty and elusive herd immunity.

The longer you have not been vaccinated, the more likely you are to mutate the virus. And face it: getting Covid is the worst. I have friends stuck at home — and with their kids! — Fever, body aches, and irritating coughs lasted for months.Some are Go through Long Covid I suffer from fatigue, insomnia, and brain fog.

I’m not here to tell you what to do with your life and health — and I’m certainly not an epidemiological expert. (I can hardly spell it.) But no matter what you decide to do, make sure you do your research, talk to your doctor, and talk to your family. please.

All of us must make the best decisions for ourselves, taking into account our responsibilities to the larger community.

Unless you think Covid is a fake. Then I can’t help you.