Editorial: Want a Safe 2021?Get your COVID shot and vaccinate your kids | Associated Press

Sadly, 2020 is the year of COVID-19, but the good news is that 2021 should be the year of coronavirus vaccine. In the meantime, let’s also have a childhood vaccination year.

The COVID-19 vaccine has been deployed for specific healthcare professionals and residents of long-term care facilities. On Tuesday, Chicago launched its first mass vaccination site. Immunity to healthcare professionals fulfills a dual obligation. While caring for people infected with COVID-19, they need to be protected from the risk of infection. They can also help our remaining model that vaccines are safe and needed. Life will not return to normal until the majority of Americans are vaccinated. For the general public, please take a picture as soon as spring comes.

Each version of the COVID-19 vaccine has been tested by thousands of people to eliminate the risk before being approved by the Food and Drug Administration. According to the FDA, it is unlikely that you will have an allergic reaction immediately after vaccination, but it must be treatable and there is no reason to skip a shot. “We are very confident in the safety and efficacy of this vaccine,” said Dr. Anthony Forch, the country’s top infectious disease expert, before taking the first round of the vaccine. You trust Dr. Fouch, right?

As with other vaccines, mild side effects such as pain, malaise, and headaches are more common, but that’s not a reason to avoid potentially life-saving jabs. “These aren’t serious and are actually welcomed,” explained Dr. Alison Alwadi, a Chicago public health commissioner, before receiving her shot on Tuesday. “They are signs that the immune system is reacting and learning how to fight COVID,” she said. “They may be uncomfortable for a day or two, but it’s a sign that true protection is ready to take hold.”

Do not skip other vaccines

Unfortunately, the COVID-19 vaccine is not the only preventative measure in town or under scrutiny. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, childhood vaccinations have declined and many people are exposed to troublesome infectious diseases.

This phenomenon appeared early on. After President Donald Trump declared a state of emergency on March 13, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention detected an immediate drop in orders for federally funded pediatric vaccines.

Some clinics have postponed regular visits, and some parents have decided not to risk exposing themselves or their children to the virus. On March 24, the CDC felt obliged to post guidance emphasizing the importance of vaccination of children for a variety of serious illnesses such as measles, whooping cough, diphtheria and polio. It was.

However, the decline continued. According to a new report by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, 40% of parents report that their children missed the vaccine because of the virus. “Children are expected to miss an estimated 9 million vaccinations in 2020, reducing childhood vaccinations by up to 26% compared to 2019.” Vincent Nelson, Chief Medical Officer at BCBSA “There is particular concern that preventable diseases such as polio could once again pose a threat to public health,” he said.

Disinformation of anti-bakers

Long before COVID-19, doctors and public health agencies were trying to overcome the anti-vaccine movement that had discouraged many parents from vaccination of their children. All states require children attending public schools to be vaccinated, but most states also allow parents to claim religious exemptions.

The movement is effective and not good. In 2000, the World Health Organization declared measles “excluded” from the United States. But it’s back. Last year, the CDC reported about 1,300 cases of measles nationwide. This is more than three times that of 2018, the highest number since 1992. Most of the infected people were not vaccinated. Whooping cough, or whooping cough, is also rebounding, with up to 20 babies dying from whooping cough each year.

No one should forget the horrific sacrifices they once suffered from the disease, which was largely defeated by the vaccine. Prior to the measles vaccination, more than 3 million Americans were infected each year, 48,000 were hospitalized and 400 to 500 were killed. Whooping cough, which causes a severe long-term cough, kills about 9,000 Americans each year.

Don’t be afraid of the waiting room

The miracle of the vaccine and its widespread use were required to significantly eliminate these and other ancient threats. However, success brought complacency, and false claims about side effects persuaded some parents to avoid vaccination.

But this year’s downturn was a comprehensible reaction to the pandemic. However, since spring, doctors have adopted precautions to make their offices safer. We now measure the temperature of arriving patients, limit the number of people in the waiting room, increase surface disinfection, and use virtual counseling. For parents who delayed the shot, these changes should be encouraging.

COVID-19 may actually increase interest in vaccination. The expectation that vaccines will put an end to the pandemic is a strong reminder of how valuable such innovations were.

Polio and measles were put under control. Next: COVID-19, if everyone took the shot as advised.

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