Memphis medical workers want to show COVID-19 vaccine is safe
With the first doses of the PfizerBiontech vaccine already in the arms of Shelby County medical workers, more being prepared for distribution and the Moderna vaccine being shipped to medical facilities and public health authorities, many are hopeful the beginning of the end of the pandemic is here.
The development of multiple safe, effective vaccines within a year of a new virus being identified is unprecedented and the logistical challenges of rolling out a nationwide — and eventually worldwide — vaccination drive are Herculean. But public health authorities face another significant obstacle on the road to the end of the pandemic: convincing everyone to take the vaccine.
While a variety of national polls show Americans of all ages, races and political orientations expressing more willingness to receive a vaccine the closer it gets to becoming widely available, many people still report concerns about potential side effects, the speed at which vaccines have been developed and mistrust of vaccines and the government, generally.
A series of surveys and focus groups conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation and ESPN'S The Undefeated show one of the largest increases was among Black Americans. In December, 62% of Black respondents said they definitely or probably would get a safe, free vaccine if it were available, up from 50% in September. However, 35% of Black respondents still said they definitely or probably would not get the vaccine.
“I think a lot of the fear comes from the history of medical experimentation in this country, and particularly, with communities of color. And I understand that. But there's been so much that has come about since then,” said Dr. Latonya Washington, an internal medicine and pediatrics physician at Saint Francis Hospital-memphis.
Washington said the way clinical trials are conducted and the safety mechanisms built into them have changed and independent review boards have been set up to ensure the development of new treatments and vaccines is conducted ethically. She said those measures help her feel sure the COVID-19 vaccines are safe.
Washington got her first dose of the Pfizer vaccine on Dec. 18. She said by the time the vaccine is widely available to the public, many healthcare workers will have been vaccinated for weeks, if not months, showing others what, if any, side effects the vaccine has.
“For me personally, doing something to be able to protect myself and to pro
tect others from COVID-19 is what I'm all about doing,” she said.
Surgeon General Jerome Adams was vaccinated on live television the same day as Washington, saying “as the U.S. surgeon general and a Black man, I'm equally aware of the symbolic significance of my vaccination today.”
Adams said it would be a tragedy if the disparities among communities of color — who have been hit hard by the virus — were to worsen if those who would benefit most can't or won't get vaccinated.
"It is not only OK to have questions about a treatment that you're being offered, it's normal," he said. "But what is not normal is to let misinformation or mistrust cause you to make a decision that is bad for your health."
Vice President Mike Pence also received the vaccine on live television, demonstrating he believes it to be safe and effective.
'The math here is pretty good'
Medical workers are not immune to concerns about the vaccines, and 29% of the healthcare workers who responded to the Kaiser survey expressed hesitancy about or opposition to getting vaccinated.
Dr. James Hoffman, who is overseeing the vaccination efforts at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, said the majority of St. Jude employees have expressed excitement as vaccinations started at the hospital but there have been some concerns and lots of questions posed to the vaccine education team at the hospital.
“It's been a huge range,” he said. “Very thoughtful questions really. It's very fair for people to ask questions...
We're actively giving them answers and working through them.”
The most common reason respondents in the Kaiser and ESPN poll cited for hesitancy about getting the vaccine was concerns about possible side effects. Clinical trial data showed minimal side effects among participants. Those who did experience side effects, including headache, mild fever or soreness in the injection arm, reported the effects went away within 24 to 48 hours.
Wanda Grayson, ICU nurse manager at Baptist Memorial Hospital-desoto, said 48 hours after she received her first shot of the Pfizer vaccine, she had no side effects and felt good.
Dr. Marvin Miller, chief of medical service and clinical incident commander for the Memphis Veterans Affairs
Medical Center inpatient COVID-19 operations, said he had some soreness in his arm but otherwise had no side effects after being vaccinated.
Jessica Wright, a physical therapist in Desoto County, also said her arm was sore for about 24 hours after the shot, like she had experienced with other vaccines, but did not experience any other side effects.
Dr. Steve Threlkeld, co-chair of the infection control program at Baptist Memorial Hospital-memphis, said he had absolutely no side effects. He decided to get the vaccine after looking through the clinical trial data and comparing the risks associated with getting the virus to the risks associated with getting the vaccine.
“We talked (on a press briefing) for half an hour or an hour about the couple of people in England on the first day who had an allergic reaction to the vaccine. These are people that carry EpiPens, they have a tendency toward bad reactions,” he said. “During that hour, on average, 106 people died in the United States from coronavirus... while we were kind of worried about two people who are fine.”
Threlkeld added many people who do not die after contracting COVID-19 do suffer serious long-term side effects including fatigue, headaches, insomnia, swelling, tingling in the hands and face, shortness of breath and brain fog, among other things. More than 43,000 people participated in the third phase of the Pfizer vaccine trial. None of them have reported long-term side effects.
“I'm not a vaccine guy, I'm a math guy. And the math here is pretty good,” Threlkeld said.
A message to the community
Other Memphis-area medical professionals have expressed confidence in the vaccine. Jarred Bowden, a pharmacist at the VA, said he understood the concerns people have about how quickly the vaccine has been developed but said it had to clear all the same safety hurdles. He was vaccinated Dec. 17.
“I've seen nothing that would deter me otherwise, and I've been excited from the time that we knew that we had a vaccine,” he said.
Amanda Nelson, a respiratory therapist at Saint Francis Hospital-memphis, said she got the vaccine because to her, it meant security.
“Protection for my family, protection for me, protection for different patients,” she said. “It has been a year we've never seen. So this, to end this terribleness that's been going on, to be able to be proactive instead of reactive to the virus is amazing. I'm glad to be able to take the first dose.”
Hoffman said getting the vaccine to those in patient care roles was not only a matter of protecting them and the immune-compromised children who are treated at St. Jude.
“We're very excited for the point where we can offer it to every employee,” he said. “It's a larger message... we need the message out there to take the vaccine and it's great that hospitals like St. Jude are able to provide that.”
Threlkeld has said the vaccine is not going to end the pandemic, vaccinations are. But after receiving his first dose, he said the vaccine itself did have a symbolic meaning.
“We've been in this quagmire,” he said. “You almost can't see the darkness you've been in until you get a little ray of light to illuminate where you are. And it's meant a lot to a lot of people, the arrival of this vaccine.”
USA TODAY contributed to this report.
Corinne Kennedy covers economic development, soccer and COVID-19’S impact on hospitals for The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached via email at Corinne.kennedy@commercialappeal.com or at 901-297-3245.