Bad news and good news on COVID
In the pulsating world of COVID-19, we pause to note serious frustration and uplifting news that we hope will bring us closer to completing the book on this terrible disease.
Let’s start with the bad news: the huge number of people who just won’t get vaccinated.
At this point you get the feeling that most of the people who are not convinced about the vaccination continue to be unconvinced because they lack something that no one wants, an even more terrible spike in cases and deaths.
Trying to convince them takes a toll on those of us who have spent months pulling together every reason and emotion argument we can think of.
A poll conducted by The Dallas Morning News and the University of Texas at Tyler shows some numbers on how many Texans just don’t get vaccinated – a frustrating 18%. Another 6% say they probably won’t do the injection and 9% probably would.
While we would welcome a future where 76% of eligible Texans are vaccinated – numbers that the survey suggests are possible – we are currently not confident that this will happen. As things stand at present, almost 60% of those eligible are fully vaccinated. Vaccines have been available for free for many months, so more people are putting up with it than the survey seems to admit.
We’ve said it before and will say it again: Science shows that vaccines are safe and effective in preventing serious illness or death as a result of COVID-19 infection. In extremely rare cases, they lead to side effects. The data shows that the risk of these side effects is far lower than the risk of serious illness or death from COVID-19.
Our information stream is now so corrupted with misinformation, lies and unfounded skepticism that we cannot imagine being able to say much to open the eyes of those who refuse to acknowledge scientific reality. We just hope that in time, while the vaccinated people lead their lives without adverse effects, some doubters will realize their error.
Now for the good news. Many people who follow science are longingly waiting for the chance to have their young children vaccinated. Pfizer’s announcement that its vaccine has been shown to be safe and effective for children ages 5-11, and that the company is seeking government approval, must be music to the ears of parents who care about their children despite the high COVID -19 send to school transfer in classroom.
While serious illness and death in young children are still rare, the Delta variant has rapidly increased the total number of sick children. Reports of intensive care units filling up with COVID-19 patients in children’s hospitals are a terrifying new chapter.
Vaccinating young children promises less transmission in schools, fewer cases coming home to at-risk adults, and a faster way out of the pandemic.
We urge our local schools to be ready to set up quick and easy vaccination clinics in every possible elementary school. And here in Dallas County we call on district leaders to be ready to resume full operations at Fair Park and Ellis Field, where hundreds of thousands have been effectively vaccinated.
The day the vaccine is approved for children is the day as many children as possible need to be vaccinated.
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